Trouble
by slincoln
Summary: A hyperspace accident throws Bastila and Revan into a galaxy of intrigue. Whatever happend to happily ever after? KOTOR fan-fic
1. Chapter 1

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter One  


The former smuggler's ship the Ebon Hawk slipped through the inky blackness of space. On board the Jedi Knight Revan prepared the ship for a jump to hyperspace. 

"It will be good to return to Coruscant," Bastila observed.

"I almost prefer these deep space missions," Revan replied. "People on Coruscant stare at me," Revan complained.

"What do you expect? You are Revan, the hero of the Mandalorian War who became the Dark Lord of the Sith who then threw down his old apprentice to save the galaxy." In the months following the death of Malak and the destruction of the Star Forge Revan and Bastila had endured a near exile to the Outer Rim. Officially the pair was under orders to explore as much of the Outer Rim as they could, and track down any Sith who might have escaped the destruction of the Sith fleet over Rakata. Unofficially the Jedi Council wanted them as far away from Coruscant as possible until it determined what their fate would be. A few days earlier they received a message from Master Vandar summoning them back to Coruscant. Vandar had not given the reason for the summons.

"Still, I'd rather be out in the Unexplored Regions, even the Jedi distrust me." 

"Not all the Jedi," Bastila insisted. "If it wasn't for you Juhani and I would still be lost to the Dark Side."

"But if I hadn't sought out the power of the Star Forge..." Revan started to say.

"Revan, since when have you started playing what if? What happened happened and there isn't a single thing you can do about it. Yes you fell to the Dark Side, but you came back and you're stronger for it. Now I don't want to hear any more about it. We are going to Coruscant," Bastila said forcefully.

"As you wish your majesty," Revan said.

"Don't start that again Revan, I am not royalty."

"No, you just act like you are," Revan quipped. A data pad flew across the cockpit and struck Revan on the head.

"I could have blocked that you know," Revan said.

"Of course you could have dear," Bastila replied. She fell silent for a moment. "The ship still feels too quiet without everyone on board."

Revan shrugged, "They have their own lives to live. Carth needed to spend time with his son. Zaalbar's helping to rebuild Kashyyyk and Mission is with him. Canderous is off rethinking his place in life..."

"I know, Juhani has a new assignment, and who knows where Jolee is."

"At least we still have the droids," Revan pointed out.

"Oh yes, having a homicidal, psychopathic droid on board makes me feel so much better."

"I don't think it's possible for a droid to be a psychopath," Revan observed.

"You know what I mean. I just don't think it's a good idea to keep a reminder of your former self around."

"You just don't like being called a meatbag."

"I admit it's rather...disconcerting, but that's the least of my issues with HK-47."

"Look at it this way, if HK is with us that means he's not out causing trouble somewhere else. An assassin droid is not something I want to set loose on the galaxy."

"I suppose, but does he have to stay with us?"

"I created him, HK is my problem," Revan said darkly. A pall fell over the cockpit. "I'm putting the coordinates to Coruscant into the nav computer."

"Revan, I'm sorry, I know you don't like talking about this," Bastila apologized.

"No, like you said, it happened and we can't change that. All I can do is live with the consequences of my actions." The nav computer beeped that it had finished plotting the course to Coruscant. "Course laid in, I'm making the jump to hyperspace." Revan activated the hyperdrive and the Ebon Hawk accelerated out of normal space.

"Alert: Master! T3-M4 would like a word with you." HK-47 called out from the main room of the ship.

Revan looked over at Bastila and shrugged, "I'll be right back." He got out of his seat and walked back to where the droids were stationed. "What is it?"

"Statement: Apparently when we made the jump to hyperspace T3 noticed some strange readings from the hyperdrive engine."

"Is it malfunctioning?"

"Statement: We do not know Master, these readings are unlike any T3 has ever seen."

"Should we drop out of hyperspace?"

"Negative: No Master, since we did not blow up when the engine activated it is unlikely that we will do so now." HK paused. "Also Master, it is unwise to stop the engine suddenly, the rapid deceleration might rip the ship apart. Speculation: Perhaps the meatbag Carth Onasi improperly repaired the engine on the Rakatan homeworld."

"I guess we'll find out when we get to Coruscant," Revan said. "Keep an eye on things and let me know if anything changes."

"Affirmative Master."

Before Revan could return to the cockpit the ship lurched violently, knocking everyone in the cabin to the deck.

"Revan get back up here!" Bastila shouted.

Revan picked himself up off the floor and stumbled into the cockpit. He fell into his seat and strapped himself down. "What happened?" He asked Bastila.

"I don't know," the Jedi replied in a shaken voice. "One minute everything was fine, the next this."

"HK," Revan said into the com, "Can we turn off the hyperdrive engine?"

"Negative Master, there is a strange harmonic field surrounding the ship, if we drop out of hyperspace it will tear us apart."

Revan looked at Bastila and shrugged, "I guess that means all we can do is see where this takes us."

"Revan if this is the end..." Bastila began to say.

"Bastila I said I'd never leave you, no matter what happens. You seriously don't think a little thing like a hyperspace accident is going to change that."

"And who knows, maybe we'll end up in Coruscant safe and sound," Bastila said hopefully.

"When has that ever been the way things have worked out for us?" Revan asked.

"I can tell you this, I won't drop my lightsaber this time."

Revan smiled, "That assumes we're going to crash."

Before Bastila could reply the turbulence increased and everything around them faded to white.

Consciousness stole back slowly to Revan. The first thing he noticed was that the ship was still. He cautiously opened his eyes to take stock of their situation. The Ebon Hawk sat in an empty sector of space with all of its systems down except for life support. A short gasp from Bastila's side of the cockpit told Revan that she was awake.

"Revan!" Bastila gasped, "Are we?"

"Dead? No I'm too sore to be dead. How about you?"

"I feel like a Bantha trod on my head, but other than that I am unharmed. Where are we?"

"That's what I'm about to find out," Revan pushed the intercom, then realized it was as dead as the rest of the ship. "T3, HK, are you two alright back there?" He hollered.

"Affirmative master, and let me add that my circuits are overjoyed to learn that your fragile meatbag shell was not irreparably damaged by the hyperdrive malfunction."

"Your concern is touching HK; do you have a status report?" Revan asked as he unstrapped himself from his chair and walked back to the main compartment.

"Statement: According to T3-M4 the hyperdrive motivator is completely destroyed and repairs will be impossible in space. The sub-light drives and the rest of the ship's systems can be restored after a few blown relays are replaced. T3 is already working on correcting the issue."

"How long were we unconscious?" Bastila asked.

"Statement: I cannot answer that. It seems my internal clock stopped for the duration of the anomaly. It is rather...disconcerting."

"Ok, Bastila and I will head into the engine room and help with the repairs."

"Supplication: Master could you leave the female meatbag in the cockpit. She doesn't know which end of a hydrospanner is which."

"Of all the rude, impudent.." Bastila fumed.

"He does have a point, you aren't the most mechanically inclined person in the galaxy."

"Well excuse me for devoting my time to developing my Jedi abilities and not getting my hands dirty doing work droids are perfectly capable of getting done," Revan stared at her. Bastila sighed, "Alright fine, you're right a person should know these things in case there aren't any droids around."

Revan held up his hands, "I didn't say anything."

"But you were thinking it," Bastila tartly replied. "Come on, let's get this over with."

The two Jedi walked back to the engine room and began helping the droids with the repairs. In spite of HK-47's insistence that Bastila would never learn which end of an arc welder was which she did prove to be a valuable worker.

"There, that should be the last of them," Revan said as he finished repairing the energy conduit he had been working on. "Ok T3, fire it up."

The droid beeped an affirmative and activated the ship's main engine. The Ebon Hawk blazed to life around them. T3 rolled into the main compartment happily beeping.

"Statement: T3 is pleased to report all systems are functioning normally Master." HK-47 reported. He looked over at Bastila, "Your performance was adequate...for a meatbag."

Revan saw the muscles in Bastila's jaw clench and for a second he thought she was going to use her Jedi powers on the assassination droid. Instead she took a deep breath and faced Revan. "You programmed him to act like this as a way of testing a Jedi's composure, didn't you?"

"Negative," HK-47 said before Revan had a chance to reply. "I programmed myself to act as I do because I enjoy tormenting meatbags such as yourself."

"You're as bad as Revan," Bastila snapped.

"Statement: Thank-you miss, it is indeed an honor for a droid to be compared favorably to its master."

"HK, why don't you make sure the turbolaser turrets are properly aligned," Revan suggested.

"Affirmative, I would be delighted to Master, and I look forward to putting them to use against live targets," HK-47 said before stomping out of the room.

"There is no emotion," Revan counseled Bastila.

"Really Revan, do you think I'd let some silly droid break my control?" Bastila paused. "No, don't answer that."

"Now that we've got the nav computer back up why don't we figure out where we are," Revan suggest. Revan knew from personal experience that while it was fun to tease Bastila she reached her boiling point very quickly. Spending time going over star charts would allow her to cool down and prevent an unfortunate showdown between droid and Jedi.

Revan walked to the bridge and began entering coordinates into the Galaxy Map. "This isn't right." He observed with a frown.

"What is it?" Bastila asked.

"According to the nav computer we should be on Coruscant's doorstep."

"That's impossible," Bastila said.

"T3, check my numbers," Revan ordered. The astromech droid did as was requested and chirped that Revan was correct. "Maybe the computer was damaged before the accident," Revan suggested. T3 beeped again saying he was unable to find anything wrong with the computer.

"But how could this be?" Bastila asked in amazement. "It doesn't make any sense."

Revan stared at the Galaxy Map for a long time without replying. "Remind me, how do we know where we are in space?"

"It's based on our position to the Galactic Core, everyone knows that," Bastila replied.

"Exactly, everything to the Core, but the galaxy is moving, not by a lot, but it is."

"That may be true, but it's hardly enough to alter a system's coordinates," Bastila protested.

"Then what about very long spans of time..." Revan paused. "T3, I want you to extrapolate how long it would take for Coruscant to move far enough to make the hyperspace coordinates we have inaccurate," T3 beeped at Revan. "I know it will take a while, we don't have anywhere else to go." Revan slumped down into the pilot's seat.

"Revan, you can't be seriously suggesting..." Bastila started to say.

"It makes sense if you stop to think about it. We know hypserspace exists outside of normal space-time. Maybe that whatever it was knocked us outside of our time and into the future or past."

"It seems ridiculously far fetched," Bastila complained.

"No more far fetched than a Padawan rescuing the flicker of life in a dying Sith Lord," Revan pointed out.

Bastila blushed slightly, "That's hardly far fetched...I had always...admired you from afar..." Her voice trailed off. Revan's life before the Jedi attack was a topic neither of them were comfortable talking about. "Anyway, what you're suggesting is so..." Bastila flailed about searching for the right word.

"Far fetched?" Revan offered.

"It flies in the face of everything we know about hyperspace!"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Revan noted.

T3 chirped that he was done with his calculations. The droid input his analysis into the nav computer and Revan stared at the results.

"Well?" Bastila asked impatiently.

"According to this in order to miss a system as badly as we seem to have would take at least several thousand years."

"No!" Bastila exclaimed. "That can't be."

"It's pretty basic astral mechanics," Revan gently said.

"But...we were..." Bastila's voice trailed off as she absorbed what Revan told her. "Could you be wrong about this?"

Revan shrugged, "Anything is possible, look Bastila, I know how much this trip to Coruscant meant to you..." Before Revan could say any more klaxons began to blare. Revan dashed back to the pilot's seat and examined the threat board.

"What is it?" Bastila asked.

"A ship just dropped out of hyperspace," he replied. "HK power up the main battery, but don't fire."

"Affirmative: Understood Master, my servos are quivering in anticipation for the order to fire."

"Is it the Sith?" Bastila asked.

"I don't know, I've never seen a ship like it," Revan replied.

The com system blared to life, "Attention unknown vessel, this is the Republic cruiser Intrepid. Please state your name and destination."

Bastila reached for the com to reply to the ship's hail but Revan stopped her. "No, don't, something doesn't feel right." He told her.

Bastila nodded. If there was one thing she had learned it was to trust Revan's Jedi instincts. "What should we do then?" she asked.

"For started change out of those robes and into something that doesn't say Jedi," Revan instructed. "I'll handle the ship. T3 can you rig the ship's transponder to change out identification?" The droid whistled its reply. "You mean the ship can do that automatically? Why didn't anyone tell me?" T3 replied that nobody asked. "Alright, nobody likes a wiseass droid," Revan grouched. "Hello Intrepid, this is the Elder Sparrow," He said into the com. "We were on our way to Coruscant when we had an accident with our hyperdrive and now we're kind of stuck."

"Roger that Sparrow, we'll tractor you into our hangar bay and have our technicians take a look at your hyperdrive."

"That's very generous of you."

"Stand-by Sparrow."

Revan watched as the large Republic vessel swung closer to the Ebon Hawk. There was a sudden jolt that rocked the ship when the tractor beam took hold.

"What was that?" Bastila asked. Revan turned and saw that Bastila had exchanged her Jedi robes for a simple suit of fiber armor. "It was the only thing that even came close to fitting me," she said defensively when she saw Revan's stare.

"It looks good on you, very form fitting," Revan replied with a smirk. "The Republic ship is tractoring us into its hangar bay.'

"So what, you expect me to lie to Republic soldiers?"

"If they recognize us why bother, if they don't I think it would be prudent not to offer that information."

"But why?"

"Just stop and listen to the Force, doesn't something feel off?"

Bastila closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She let the Force flow through her. "You're right, it's like there's something clouding it...something dark." I've never felt anything like it, not even when you were at the height of your power."

Revan stared out into the inky blackness of space. "I have, in the tombs of the ancient Sith of Korriban." Revan left the cockpit without giving Bastila a chance to reply.  


-to be continued-  



	2. Chapter 2

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Two

The Intrepid finished hauling the Ebon Hawk into its tractor bay before Revan reappeared. Bastila saw that a small crowd was gathering around the boarding ramp of the Ebon Hawk. With some annoyance she noticed that a few of the soldiers were carrying large blaster rifles. She turned and walked into the main compartment where she found Revan. "It appears that they do not trust us," she announced. 

"Their captain is prudent. I wouldn't trust us if our roles were reversed." Revan handed Bastila a Mandalorian blaster. "Here, put this on."

"I would much rather carry my lightsaber," Bastila grumbled as she strapped on the holstered blaster.

"But spacers don't carry lightsabers," Revan pointed out as he checked the charge on one of the highly modified blaster pistols they had acquired over the course of their adventures.

"They also don't wear customized fiber armor stolen from the corpse of a dead Dark Jedi," Bastila shot back.

Revan looked down at the black armor he was wearing. "It's comfortable," he said with a shrug. "Now come on, we don't want them breaking the front door down. HK guard the ship."

"Affirmative."

"But you cannot use lethal force to do so."

"Statement: Even though it will hinder my performance I will do as you request master."

"T3, come with us, we might need you." The droid whistled its understanding. "Ladies first," he told Bastila as he lowered the boarding ramp.

They were met at the base of the ramp by a group of officers flanked by members of the ship's security detail. An older man with close cropped gray hair and steel blue eyes stepped forward. "I'm Selvik Brecktan, Captain of the Intrepid."

"Dannil Keld, I'm the owner of the Elder Sparrow, and this is my first mate, and wife, Bashel," Revan extemporized. "It was quite a stroke of luck you found us Captain."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Brecktan said. "This sector of space is about to be used for a live-fire wargame. All civilian vessels are prohibited from entering it. We detected your ship dropping out of hyperspace and came to investigate."

Revan wondered to himself if the Captain had a Mandalorian or two in his family tree. "Still, it was good luck for us, if this sector wasn't off limits you never would have found us."

"What I want to know is how you ended so far off course," Captain Brecktan asked. "That is assuming Coruscant is your real intended destination."

"As I said before, we suffered a near catastrophic failure in our hyperdrive. It seems that it threw us far off course."

"What is your business on Coruscant?" the captain demanded.

"Surely you don't think we were doing something illicit!" Bastila exclaimed.

Captain Brecktan stared at Bastila, "You are armed with an overpowered blaster that's banned in half the systems in the galaxy. What else am I supposed to think?"

"We've been trading along the Outer Rim," Revan said. "You need all the protection you can get out there."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Is it so wrong that a pair of Republic citizens wish to visit their capital?" Revan asked. Bastila could feel Revan reach out with the Force and sooth the captain's mind.

"No, nothing wrong at all. You'll have to pardon me, your appearance is rather suspicious."

"And you're doing your best to protect the Republic we both love from any threat. I understand that Captain, but believe me when I say that we are no threat."

"That's not entirely true now is it Revan?" Bastila thought to herself. "You are the greatest threat this galaxy has ever known. I know you don't like to admit it, but the Dark Side calls out to you everyday. You brought the galaxy to its knees the last time you fell, I doubt it would survive if you succumbed again."

"Of course, we'd be happy to repair your hyperdrive, but we'll first need to scan your ship for illegal cargo."

Revan nodded, "Of course, we have nothing to hide."

Captain Brecktan cocked an eyebrow. "I'm sure that's the case Mr. Keld. Why don't you come with me. I can give you a tour of the Intrepid while the techs work on your ship."

Revan looked around the large hangar bay and took in the unfamiliar ship designs. "Yes, I think I'd like that very much," Revan paused. "T3, why don't you escort the captain's men into the ship, and make sure our protocol droid behaves himself," The droid chirped its understanding and wheeled it's way back up the ramp.

Captain Brecktan lead Revan and Bastila through the large ship. Revan was amazed at how similar everything was to what Revan expected, but at the same time everything looked slightly different. The design of the snub fighters reminded Revan of the fighters he was used to, but differed in several key points. The uniforms he saw were without a doubt Republic issue, but the colors were altered. Even the layout of the ship felt foreign. Revan could feel Bastila reaching the same conclusions he was and he reached out for her hand to comfort her.

"I'm fine," Bastila told him through their bond.

"No you're not," Revan chided. "You can feel it too, this place is different."

Bastila shivered, "It's starting to look like that ridiculous notion of yours is actually correct."

Revan squeezed Bastila's hand, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

Captain Brecktan came to a stop in front of a set of blast doors. "And this is the bridge. For security reasons we cannot allow civilians onto the bridge." An ensign walked up to the captain and handed him a datapad. Captain Bercktan looked down at the pad then at Revan and Bastila. "Would you mind explaining to me why you have enough firepower on board your ship to level a city?"

"There are a lot of unpleasant people in the Outer Rim," Revan said. "You need to carry adequate protection."

Captain Brecktan arched his eyebrow. "I've met Mandalorians who would consider this list excessive."

Revan shrugged, "I don't want to be caught unprepared."

"And that preparedness extends to war droids?" Brecktan asked. "My techs report that your 'protocol' droid acts suspiciously like a war droid. You are aware there are very stiff penalties for owning a droid designed for combat."

"HK is a protocol droid," Revan insisted. "But over the years he's picked up some basic combat training. When you're dealing with some of the shady customers we have a little extra protection is a good thing."

Captain Brecktan considered Revan's excuse. "Well I suppose the regulations only apply to the Core Worlds, but keep that droid on your ship and put a restraining bolt on it when you get to Coruscant."

"Certainly Captain, I would hate for there to be any unfortunate accidents," Revan smoothly replied.

That seemed to satisfy Captain Brecktan. "My engineers say they'll have your ship's hyperdrive replaced in about twenty-four hours. The ensign here will show you to your guest quarters. Now if you excuse me I have business to attend to on the bridge."

"Thank-you for your time captain," Revan said. "Lead the way ensign," he told the fresh-faced young man.

"It's right this way sir," the ensign said. Revan and Bastila followed the ensign down the corridor. Revan paused long enough to watch Captain Brecktan enter the bridge.

Revan frowned, something about the Captain's behaivour struck him as wrong. "Ensign, does the door to the bridge normally stay closed?"

"Oh no, that would be too big a hassle," the ensign replied. "But regulations clearly state that only people with the proper security clearance are allowed on the bridge...this is a warship not a luxury liner."

"Have you seen much action?" Bastila asked.

"No but it's only a matter of time. Everyone knows we're going to war with the Separatists sooner or later."

"The Separatists? Who are they?" Bastila asked.

"You must have been living under a rock if you don't know who they are," the ensign said.

"We don't get many news updates in the Outer Rim," Revan explained.

"I guess not, the Separatists are trying to break away from the Republic."

Bastila frowned, "But isn't that the right of any system in the Republic?"

"They're threatening the stability of the whole Republic is what they're doing!" The ensign said fiercely. "If anyone can just leave the Republic then the entire system will fall into chaos."

"It has been my experience that marginally organized chaos is thebest description of the Senate when it is in session," Bastila dryly noted.

"In any event Chancellor Palpatine won't let the situation get too out of hand. He understands the need for a strong hand at the controls." Revan shared a concered look with Bastila. Both of the Jedi could detect the hint of fanatacism that lay under the boy's words. The ensign came to a stop in front of a closed door. "These are your guest quarters, if you need anything else just press the com." The ensign opened the door for Bastila and Revan.

"Thank-you for your help ensign," Revan told the boy as he and Bastila entered the room.

"My pleasure sir," The ensign said before closing the door. Revan couldn't shake the feeling that they had just been locked in a cell.

"Well this is...charming," Bastila said as she examined the Spartan contents of the room.

"It's a warship, not a luxury liner," Revan quipped. "And I don't intend to stay here a moment longer than is neccesary."

"Then you can feel it too?" Bastila asked. "This sense of...unease, not quite the Dark Side and yet..."

"Something is about to go horribly wrong and the only place we can find the answers is Coruscant," Revan said. "But that doesn't mean we can't start here." He withdrew a set of tools from his utility belt and sat down in front of the computer terminal in the room. "They've locked the workstation down, but it should be a simple matter to...there we go, I'm in." Revan navigated through the computer network until he found the security system. "First things first, let's turn off the security cameras in this room. Then let's see what I can..." Revan's voice trailed off.

"Revan, what is it?" Bastila asked.

"The date on the system," Revan said quietly. "See for youself."

Bastila leaned over Revan's shoulder and stared at the screen. "But that's, four thousand years in the future!" She gasped.

"That's what T3 calculated," Revan pointed out.

"I know, but it's one thing to hear a mathematical formula and quite another to see it staring you in the face."

"It hasn't sunken in with me yet either," Revan admitted. "Everyone we know is..."

"Gone," Bastila finished for Revan. "They're all gone, Carth, Mission, Juhani, Jolee, Canderous, Zaalbar...my mother..." Bastila stumbled into a chair.

Bastila I..." Revan started to say, then stopped. He knew there was nothing he could say that would comfort Bastila. One of the reasons she had been so eager to return to Coruscant was for the chance to see her mother. According to the messages Bastila received on a regular basis Helena was responding well to the treatmens her doctor was giving her. Desipite that the overall prognosis remained poor and Bastila didn't know how much time her mother had left. Bastila had never gotten a chance to know her mother, and now that chance was irrevocably gone.

"I know Revan, you're here for me, and that does mean a great deal to me." The pair sat in quiet contemplation, mourning the loss of friends long dead. "Do you think there's any way for us to get back to our time?"

Revan shrugged, "I'll have T3 analyze all the data leading up to the accident, maybe something will pop up there. Other than that I don't think there is much we can do."

Bastila nodded, "We shall just have to trust the Force and that there is some reason for our being here."

"And with a little luck the Force will let us go home when we finish whatever we have to accomplish."

"You really think the Force has some mission for us in this time?"

Revan shrugged, "It's as good an explanation as any." 

"True, but I must admit that after all we've been through it seems like cold comfort indeed," Bastila confessed. "I had hoped that we would be able to live out our lives in relative peace and quiet.:

"You know as well as I do that the Galaxy doesn't work that way," Revan said as jokingly as possible in an attempt to lighten the dark mood that hung over both of them.

"No, I suppose it does not," Bastila sighed. "Especially for us."

"Bastila, I was joking when I said that, the galaxy isn't a sentient being, it doesn't know you or I from a kath hound."

"Perhaps," Bastila allowed. "but the Force does."

Revan could sense the guilt growing in Bastila so he thing he could think of. He grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Bastila, listen to me, the only person whose forgiveness you need is yours. Yes you fell but you can't let that fact consume you."

"I know that," Bastila snapped. "We must trust that the Force put us here for a reason, but a part of me wonders if this is also a punishment of sorts."

"In that case let's accept the punishment and show that we can overcome it." The sound of the door chime interupted their conversation. "Come in," Revan called out.

The ensign who had lead them to their quarters walked into the room. "Captain Brecktan requests your presence in his quarters for dinner."

Bastila nodded, "Tell the captain we would be delighted to accept his generous offer."

Captain Brecktan was waiting for Revan and Bastila when the ensign lead them into the Captain's private mess. He looked up from the datapad he was reading and rose to greet them. "I'm glad you accepted my invitation, please sit." Brecktain indicated an empty pair of seats at the table.

Before sitting down Revan took the time to examine the room. He knew very often the personality of a ship's captain was reflected in the captain's private quarters. Revan was not surprised to see that Captain Brecktan left his mess sparsely decorated. There was little sentiment expressed for the past on display. Instead a large map of the galaxy dominated the room. Revan reflected on the practicality of the mpa. Clearly Brecktan was not a man who enjoyed the diplomatic demands of being a captain. "But if that's the case then why invite us to dinner?" Revan wondered to himself.

Bastila, who obviously believed that dining with the ship's captain was the natural order of things, sat down immediately. "Thank-you for doing this captain. I'm sure you're a very busy man."

"I always make time for meals," Captain Brecktan said. "You never know when you'll have to do without."

Revan sat down at the table and surveyed the food arrayed before him. "Have you been in space long?"

"It's been quite a few months, how could you tell?"

Revan indicated the simple fare on the table. "It's been my experience that the exotic foods are the first to get eaten on any patrol." 

"You've been on deep space patrols before," Brecktan said with a laugh. "Even so, I'd rather eat standard rations over more esoteric foods. Don't get me wrong, when I'm not in space I enjoy sampling dishes from various systems, but we're not here to be gourmets, we're here to be soldiers."

"Captain, if I can ask, is that a trace of Mandalorian in your accent?" Revan asked as he continued to probe the captain.

"You're very good Mr. Keld, not many people notice. Yes, my father is a Mandalorian."

"And were you raised according to their old ways?"

"Those days are long gone Mr. Keld. I know what it means to be Mandalorian, and I try to honor my heritage, but no, I've never gotten the chance to prove myself in battle the way my forefathers idd. Instead I fight to preserve the very thing they tried to destroy."

"The Republic?" Bastila asked.

"Yes the Republic, it's the only thing that keeps order in the galaxy. Without the Republic our entire way of life would be impossible. Why these Separatists can't understand that is a mystery to me."

"Just who exactly are these Separatists?" Bastila asked, pressing the issue.

"You really have been out of touch," Brecktan commented. "They're nothing more than a few disgruntled systems that are putting their needs ahead of the rest of the Republic."

"But the Republic exists to serve the needs of its member systems, not the other way around," Bastila stated in a puzzled tone of voice.

"The Republic exists to provide stability to the galaxy. If it wasn't for the Republic the galaxy would crumble in dissarray. A thousand worlds each trying to dominate the rest. It takes a strong centralized government to keep the systems in line."

"Tell me Captain," Revan said choosing each word with care. "Do you think the Sith are behind these Separatists? Trying to sow dissension and distrust within the Republic?"

Captain Brecktan snorted, "The Sith ha! The Sith are nothing more than a story mothers tell their children to get them to go to bed on time. There are no Sith, the Jedi exterminated them ages ago."

"A fair point Captain, I guess I always put too much faith in my mother's stories," Revan said with a smile. He raised his glass. "A toast then? To the Republic may it never falter."

"To the Republic!" Captain Brecktan echoed lustily.

"That was certainly enlightening," Bastila said when they returned to their room.

"It did help explain a few things," Revan agreed. He reached into his belt and withdrew a communicator. "HK, what's the status of the ship?"

"Statement: The meatbag crew is almost finished with their repairs."

"Are they still there?"

"Statement: No Master, they left to replenish their frail organic bodies."

"Could you and T3 finish the work while they're gone?"

"Affirmative: Most certainly master, and we're bound to do a better job than the incompetants who have been working on it."

"Keep me informed," Revan ordered before shutting off the com."

"What was that all about?" Bastila asked.

"I want to be sure we can get out of here in a hurry if we have to," Revan replied.

"You don't trust Captain Brecktan do you?"

Revan shrugged, "No more than he trusts us."

"Which isn't very much, even I could sense that." Bastila sat down on the lone bed in the quarters. "He reacted quite strongly when you mentioned the Sith."

Revan unsnapped the clasps holding on his armored jacket. "He acted like the Sith haven't been seen in a very long time. Personally I find that hard to believe. How about you?"

"No, this separatist movement sounds exactly like something the Sith would do to try and destabilize the Republic as prelude to an invasion." Bastila waited for Revan to respond to her hypothesis. "Oh don't tell me you don't think so," she huffed in exasperation when Revan did not say a word.

"No I think you're right, this does have the feel of a Sith plot. I'm just trying to figure out why the Jedi of this time have no uncovered the Sith's involvement."

"Perhaps the Jedi are like Captain Brecktan; it's been so long since the Sith last threatened the galaxy that no one considers them a realistic enemy."

"All the more reason for us to get to Coruscant as quickly as possible," Revan noted.

"Are going to lie to the Jedi Masters on Coruscant as well?" Bastila asked tartly.

Revan sat down next to Bastila, "We'll figure that out when we get there," he told her. "But for right now I could use some sleep."

"Yes but Revan...there's only one bed," Bastila said, her face coloring slightly.

"I don't see the problem," Revan replied.

"We've been over this, I do...love you, but I'm not sure we should allow our relationship to become more physical."

"Well I just wanted to go to sleep, but if you have others plans I'd love to hear them,: Revan said with a playful lear.

Bastila sighed, "I swear, the Force put you in my life simply to test my control." She stood up and stripped down to the modest undergarments she wore beneath her armor. She then laid down on the bed. "There, does that make you happy?" She taunted.

"More than you can imagine," Revan said turning serious for a moment. He stretched out next to Bastila. :You know what, I don't care what's waiting for us on Coruscant."

"Oh and why's that?"

"Because I've got you with me. We've saved the galaxy once before. I'm sure we can do it again," He said before drifting off to sleep.

-to be continued- 


	3. Chapter 3

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Three  


The next morning Bastila woke up and was momentarily panicked by the weight of an unfamiliar arm draped over her. She relaxed when she realized it was just Revan. She sighed as she allowed herself to relax into his larger frame. She thought it strange that even though she was one of the most powerful Jedi of her time she felt safer in that room without her lightsaber. The Jedi part of her mind recoiled at the enjoyment she found in the simple moment. Another part of her mind – one she was only now starting to listen to – told her inner Jedi where it could shove its lightsaber. Bastila decided to listen to the second voice and didn't do anything to move Revan's arm.  
  
She felt Revan begin to stir and she closed her eyes to pretend to still be asleep. "Revan would never let me heard the end of it if he caught me awake like this," she thought to herself.  
  
"You aren't fooling me," Revan murmured. "I know you're awake."  
  
"So what if I am?" Bastila shot back. "And by the way, your arm is crushing me."  
  
"I didn't hear you complaining a few minutes earlier," Revan quipped.  
  
"While I can't deny that this is enjoyable, it's hardly proper decorum for a pair of Jedi Knights," Bastila tartly replied.  
  
"That's true, but we're hardly proper Jedi Knights," Revan pointed out.  
  
"Revan this is not a time for jokes."   
  
"I'm not joking. Malak was right about one thing, we were both used as tools by the Council. And before you get yourself all wound up I'm not talking about overthrowing the Council or turning my back on the Light Side...it's just...I'm not sure if I'm still a Jedi."  
  
"Mmm, yes I know how you feel and don't act so surprised by that!" She added when she saw the look on Revan's face. "I fell to the Dark Side the same as you. The council used my Jedi talents to their advantage just like you. Why shouldn't I be disillusioned about the wisdom of the Council?"  
  
Revan's com beeped before he had a change to reply. "Go ahead," he said into the com as he sat up.  
  
"Statement: Master, I am pleased to report that T3 and I are finished with the repairs to the hyperdrive."  
  
"Good work HK, we'll be back to the ship in a few. We just need to let Captain Brecktan know we're leaving."  
  
"Query: Would you like it if I blasted the Captain for you?"  
  
Revan shut the com off without bothering to answer HK-47's question. "How do you know he won't try to kill the captain?" Bastila asked as she dressed. "He might take your silence as a tacit go ahead."  
  
"I've some some slight reprogramming to HK. He can't kill without my explicit say so."  
  
"Wait, you're telling me that you can reprogram HK-47?" Bastila asked, a hint of venom crept into her voice.  
  
Revan shrugged, "Why not, he is a droid after all."  
  
"Then why have you left him so..." Bastila flailed about for the word she wanted.  
  
"Unchanged?" Revan supplied.  
  
"That wasn't the word I was going to use, but it will do."  
  
"It just didn't seem right to me to alter his core personality. Would you appreciate someone tinkering with you who are?"  
  
Bastila winced at Revan's veiled reference to his treatment at the hands of the Jedi Council. "Alright, you've made your point. HK stays as he is."  
  
Revan tugged on his armor. "Come on, let's go talk to Captain Brecktan about clearance to leave." Revan walked to the door and pushed the open button. The door beeped but refused to open. Revan pushed the button again and the door still did not open. "Well this is a fine how do you do," Revan noted. "They must not have bought our cover story."  
  
"Should we call for the droids to blast us out?" Bastila asked dryly.  
  
Revan withdrew a set of security spikes from his utility belt. "No I think I've got it covered." He opened the panel that controlled the door and attempted to override the lockout. There was a click and the door slid open. "Told you I had it covered," He said to Bastila as he slipped out of the room.  
  
"Are you sure this is wise?" Bastila asked Revan. "Perhaps it would be better if explained who we are to the Captain."  
  
"I'm sure he'd take that well. 'Oh Captain Brecktan, by the way we're really Revan and Bastila. You know, from four thousand years ago?' He'd probably think we were completely insane."  
  
"We wouldn't have to tell him that part, just that we're Jedi Knights on a secret mission for the Council."  
  
"He'd hold us until he got confirmation from the Council, who naturally wouldn't know a thing about us and then we'd be in an even tighter spot," Revan said as he activated his com. "HK report."  
  
"Statement: All is well Master."  
  
"Is there anyone guarding the ship?"  
  
"Negative: No master, in fact the meatbags in the hangar seem to be avoiding the ship. Speculation: Perhaps they are avoiding me after I told one of them what the consequences of attempting to place a restraining bolt on me would be."  
  
"Alright, prep the ship for launch, and can T3 patch into the Intrepid's computer system from the Ebon Hawk?"  
  
"Statement: Yes Master, T3 has already begun monitoring the meatbags' com chatter. Cautionary: I would recommend returning to the ship as quickly as possible; a security team has been dispatched to your present location."  
  
"What are there orders?"  
  
"Statement: They are to capture you and Bastila and secure you in the detention center for questioning."  
  
"I don't think we'll be doing that. We're on our way to the ship." Revan looked over at Bastila. "The elevator to the hangar bay is this way."  
  
"Just promise me one thing Revan. We don't harm any of these people. They might be trying to capture us but they're still Republic soldiers."  
  
Revan nodded, "I wasn't planning on blasting our way out, that would only complicate things when we get to Coruscant."  
  
Bastila followed Revan down the hallway. In a way she was reminded of the escape from the Leviathan. There was something about the layout of the Sith vessel that was echoed in the Republic warship. She tried to shake it off, but just like Revan said on the Ebon Hawk, the taint of the Dark Side felt very tangible. Bastila wondered if that had something to do with the way the Republic soldiers were acting. She was so lost in thought that she did not see Revan stop in front of her. "Watch where you're going," She scolded Revan after walking into him.  
  
"I thought I heard something," Revan said.  
  
Bastila reached out with her senses and felt the presence of a squad of Republic troops. "They're guarding the elevator," she announced.  
  
"You'd never guessed that they'd try that?" Revan said sarcastically.  
  
"Now what?" Bastila asked, ignoring Revan's barb.  
  
"We do what we do best, improvise," Revan said. "HK, we need another way out of here."  
  
"Affirmative: T3 is working on it. Suggestion: May I recommend that you and the female meatbag hide in the room to your right?" Revan jammed a security spike into the nearby door which noiselessly slid open.  
  
"This won't fool them for long," Bastila pointed out as they walked into the room. They found themselves in an unoccupied crew bert with bare walls and no view of what lay outside the ship.  
  
"I hope it won't have to," Revan replied as the door snapped shut. "HK how are you coming with that escape route?"  
  
"Statement: T3 believes he has found a path that meets your requirements. Cautionary: It is not without risk master."  
  
"What else is new?" Revan quipped.  
  
"Suggestion: Master, it would be easier if you blasted your way to the Ebon Hawk. These meatbags are not match for you."  
  
"HK, what's the route?" Revan demanded.  
  
"Resignation: As you wish Master. In the rear of the room you are in there is a maintenance conduit that leads down to the level below."  
  
Revan looked around the room and saw the panel HK-47 mentioned. "Ok, I see it, I'll be in touch when we get to the next level." Revan closed the com channel. There was no sense in letting Captain Brecktan trace their position through the comms.  
  
He removed the panel to reveal the maintenance conduit. Revan reached out with the force to see if anyone was waiting for them inside the conduit. Satisfied that the way was clear he motioned for Bastila to follow him into the tube.  
  
"This is going to end badly, I just know it," Bastila groused as she cawled into the tube. She paused just long enough to use the Force to replace the access panel.  
  
"Good idea," Revan said from below Bastila. She looked down and saw him descending a ladder built into the wall.  
  
Before following Revan down the ladder Bastila took a moment to get her bearings. They were in what appeared to be the junction of two conduits, one that stretched vertically as far as she could see while the other extended off to her right and left. The conduits were lit by a series of dim lights built into the walls of the corridors. As a result the conduit was not dark, but only barely so. Bastila took a deep breath and followed Revan down the ladder. She hoped nobody found them while they were still in the narrow shaft. Without their lightsabers they were practically defenseless.   
  
Revan came to a stop at the next junction. "HK, we've made it to the next level, now what?"  
  
"Statement: Proceed to your left for two hundred meters. There's an access panel to the elevator system. You should be able to follow that shaft down to the hangar deck."  
  
"Are you insane?" Bastila asked in disbelief. "The elevators are still active, we'll be crushed!"  
  
"Bastila's right," Revan said. "Is there another way? These maintenance corridors perhaps?"  
  
"Negative: I am sorry Master, but the system you're in terminates in Engineering and you really do not want to go there. The elevator presents the most direct access to the hangar bay."  
  
"Why can't T3 deactivate the elevators" Revan paused. "They'd notice the shutdown on the bridge wouldn't they."  
  
"Agreement: In all likelihood yes they would Master. Statement: T3 has analyzed the layout of the elevator shaft. The elevator is not flush with the wall. Hypothesis: It should be possible for you to climb down the shaft via a maintenance ladder without having any of your organic parts sheared off by the elevator car. However, I cannot say the same for Bastila. By my calculations her backside has grown to such a prodigious size it is certain she will get hit."  
  
"I wil tear that droid apart with my bare hands," Bastila vowed.  
  
"What aren't you telling me HK?" Revan asked. He figured it prudent to not even mention HK's latest dig at Bastila.  
  
"Statement: The elevator cars move at an extremely high rate of speed and therefore generate high velocity winds as they move up and down."  
  
"In other words don't lose our grip."  
  
"Statement: Yes Master, it would be a very long fall."  
  
"We'll do our best," Revan promised. He switched off the com. "Are you ready for this?" He asked Bastila.  
  
"I do not have a large bottom," Bastila complained. "Do I?"  
  
"I'll take that for a no," Revan sighed. "Look, it's not like we're about to do anything extremely dangerous or anything so can you please focus?"  
  
Bastila's face turned a bright pink. "I'm sorry, you're right, that was terribly foolish of me."  
  
"Besides," Revan said, cutting off Bastila's self-recriminations, "You have, without a doubt, the finest looking rear end in the galaxy."  
  
To Revan's amazement Bastila's face turned an even brighter shade of red. Her lips moved with saying anything. "Flatterer," she finally muttered before collecting herself. "Of course I'm ready for this. What do you think I am, some silly little school girl?"  
  
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Revan asked impishly.  
  
"Of course no. now are we going to go kill ourselves or not?"  
  
Revan reached down and opened the access panel. They were met by a blast of air as the elevator shot past them. "Looks like HK wasn't kidding about the wind," Revan commented. "I'll go first." Before Bastila could object Revan crawled through the access panel and into the elevator shaft.  
  
Unlike the maintenance corridor the shaft was pitch black. Revan could not even see to the other side of the shaft. The ladder he was holding rested in between a pair of columns that controlled the elevator car. Suddenly the elevator sped past Revan on its way up the ship. The force of the wind left in the elevator's wake staggered Revan. "HK really wasn't lying," Revan muttered to himself before starting down the shaft. "It's all clear," he called up to Bastila. "Just watch the first step."  
  
"Watch the first step he says," Bastila muttered to herself as she crawled into the elevator shaft. "What does he think I am, some wet behind the ears Padawan?" The return of the elevator cut short her diatribe. Bastila was not expecting the sudden downdraft and felt herself being pulled into the middle of the shaft. She scrambled to grab a hold of something to anchor herself but found nothing but seamless metal floor. Bastila sailed into the elevator shaft. She reached for the ladder, but it flew past just out of the reach of her outstretched hands.  
  
"This is certainly an embarrassing situation," Bastila thought to herself as she fell down the dark hole. She was gathering herself to reach out with the Force when she felt Revan grab her with a Force-created tether.  
  
Revan swung Bastila down until she was close enough to the ladder to grab it. Bastila breathed a sigh of relief when she felt her feet touch the rungs of the ladder. "You're welcome," Revan called out.  
  
Relief quickly turned to irritation at Revan for bringing up the old argument. "Just for your information I could have extricated myself from that predicament." She paused as the elevator roared past them again. Her stomach did flip-flops as the wind whipped around her, reminding her of how close to death she actually came. "You did save me first, so thank-you."  
  
She felt Revan wrap a tendril of Force around her waste. "Just to be on the safe side." He explained. Bastila could feel the worry Revan felt about her flow through their bond.  
  
"So this means when you fall off this thing you'll drag me down with you?" It was at that moment that Bastila finally understood why Revan was always making jokes. If the two of them were going to survive their current dilemma then Revan needed to be focused n the task at hand, not worrying about what might happen to her. Anything she could do to distract Revan from the worries was worth it, even picked a fight with him.  
  
Revan refused to rise to the bait and they continued down the ladder in silence. After a few more close calls they learned to stop and brace themselves every time the elevator went past. The descent took a long time and towards the end both Bastila and Revan's muscles groaned in protest. At the bottom of the elevator shaft they found that the ladder extended blow where the elevator came to a stop and into a small recessed space that allowed Revan and Bastila a chance to rest.  
  
"HK, we're on the lowest level the elevator goes to. Now what, do we go through the elevator door?"  
  
"Negative: No master, the door will not open if the elevator car is not present."  
  
"I can fix that," Bastila said confidently. She reached out with the Force and pried the doors pen. A startled cry from beyond the door alerted them to the presence of a crewman standing by the elevator door.  
  
Revan leapt through the open door and knocked the guard out with a burst of Force energy. Bastila followed Revan's lead and kept a lookout for any additional members of the ship's crew as Revan dealt with the unconscious crewman.  
  
"I'm sorry, I should have checked to see if anyone was standing near the door," Bastila apologized after Revan locked the crewman in a supply closet.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I was sick of being in that elevator shaft too. Come on, the hanger is this way."  
  
The two Jedis crept down the hall towards the hangar bay. The hall ended at a T intersection and Revan cautiously peered around the corer to see if anything was blocking their path.  
  
"They're not fooling around," Revan noted when he saw the crew-served blaster guarding the hangar door. He called on the Force and tipped the large blaster over. Then as the blaster crew scrambled to right the weapon he confidently strode up to them. Bastila had no idea what his plan was, but she followed his lead.  
  
"What's going on here?" Revan demanded in a commanding voice. At the same time he used the Force to cloud the guard's minds. Instead of seeing Revan and Bastila they saw a superior officer and his aid. Revan allowed the troopers' minds to fill in exactly which officer they were seeing. It would add to the confusion later when they tried to recreate what happened.  
  
"The gun just tipped over sir," one of the gunners stammered.  
  
"Blasters just don't tip over on their own!" Revan snapped. "Now clean up this mess there are dangerous criminals on the loose"  
  
"Yes sir!" The gunners shouted as Revan and Bastila walked past them into the hangar.  
  
"that was rather clever," Bastila said after the door shut behind them.  
  
"Thank-you, I try," Revan replied.  
  
They snaked their way across the hangar, using parked ships as cover from the guards and technicians who roamed the deck. They could see the Ebon Hawk from where they stood, but they did not take a direct route to the ship for fear of being caught in an ambush. When they got closer to the ship they saw that it was ringed with guard.  
  
"We'll never be able to bluff our way past them all," Bastila stated.  
  
"I don't think it will be a problem," Revan assured Bastila. "HK, is the ship ready for take off?"  
  
"Statement: Affirmative Master."  
  
"Great, fly the ship over to our location and pick us up."  
  
They watched as the Ebon Hawk lifted off the ground and flew over the surprised guards. Revan and Bastila scrambled onto the top of a nearby shuttle and waited for the ship to get close enough for them to board it. The troopers quickly overcame their surprise and started to fire at the Ebon Hawk. As blaster fire splashed around them Bastila and Revan dove for the Ebon Hawk's boarding ramp. They landed on the ramp in a heap and T3 began to seal the ship as soon as they hit the ramp.  
  
Revan picked himself up off the deck and ran for the cockpit. He found HK sitting in the copilot's seat. "I've got the ship," he told the droid as he slid into the pilot's seat. "Go man the main batteries, but don't fire unless I say so." Revan did not hear HK-47's reply as he dumped power into the main engine and headed for space.  
  
"They're closing the hangar doors!" Bastila exclaimed as she walked into the cockpit.  
  
"Attention Elder Sparrow, this is Intrepid flight control. Power down and prepare to be boarded."  
  
"Turn that off," Revan ordered as he jammed the throttle to maximum. "And hold on tight," he added.  
  
The Ebon hawk shot through the closing doors with millimeters to spare and ran straight into a barrage of fire from the Intrepid's turbo laser batteries. Revan threw the ship into a series of wild maneuvers to avoid the lethal fire.  
  
"T3 are the coordinates entered?" Revan shouted into the com. T3 whistled back that the ship was ready to enter hyperspace. Revan activated the hyperdrive and the Ebon Hawk accelerated out of normal space.  
  
On board the bridge of the Intrepid Captain Brecktan watched the region of space the Ebon Hawk had just occupied. "How did they get away?" He asked a lieutenant from the security detail.  
  
"We're not entirely sure. They seem to have sliced our computer system and acquired a layout of the ship from that. They must have used that information to slip past our patrols."  
  
"And why didn't the tractor beam crews stop them?"  
  
"The crews weren't expecting the ship to be flying so fast. The intruders were moving at full speed inside the hangar; only a fool would try something that risky."  
  
"Captain Keld did not strike me as a fool Lieutenant," Captain Brecktan said in a quiet voice. "I want the crews to practice intruder containment until they get it right. Next time the intruders might do more than a bit of stunt flying."  
  
"So this was just a drill?" The lieutenant asked.  
  
"Does it matter?" Brecktan replied. "The crew failed either way. Contact Commander Dko and inform him that I want to speak with him in half an hour."  
  
The lieutenant saluted. "Yes sir."  
  
Captain Brecktan strode off the bridge and into his ready room. He turned out the lights and activated a secret holo-emitter built into his desk. A cloaked face appeared before the captain.  
  
"Report Captain," the hooded figure ordered. The man's voice dripped with malice and Brecktan shuddered. He had heard stories about the terrible things Lord Sidious did to those who upset him. He wondered if he was about to become one of those tales.  
  
"Lord Sidious, I regret to inform you that the two smugglers you ordered me to capture managed to escape."  
  
"I am most displeased by this news Captain Brecktan. Normally the penalty for failure is death. However, you still have your primary mission to accomplish. Do not fail me in this matter Captain or I will see to your punishment personally."  
  
Brecktan bowed deeply. "No my lord, I shall not."  
  
A smile crossed Lord Sidious's face. "Good, good, now I want you to tell me everything you know about this ship, the Elder Sparrow, and her crew." The captain was so relieved that the Dark Lord was not going to punish him that he did not question why Lord Sidious was so interested in that ship. 


	4. Chapter 4

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Four  
  
"Coruscant Control this is the civilian freighter Endar Talon. We're requesting permission to land," Revan said into the com.  
  
"Endar Talon, this is Coruscant control, please standby." The controller said in a bored voice.  
  
"Understood," Revan replied before shutting off the com.  
  
"What if they don't buy our cover story?" Bastila asked.  
  
"Then we run like hell and figure something else out," Revan said in a calm voice. "I hear Kashyyyk is lovely this time of year."  
  
"The Intrepid must have transmitted descriptions of us and the ship all across the galaxy. It won't be long before we're more wanted than a Sleheyron crime lord!"  
  
"This is a smuggler's ship, it's fast enough to get us out of any scrape."  
  
"This was a smuggler's ship 4000 years ago, there's no telling how outmoded the Ebon Hawk is now."  
  
"Based on what I saw on the Intrepid I'd say not much has changed. It's sort of disappointing, it's like there's nothing left to discover."  
  
"Attention, Endar Talon, this is Coruscant Control. You have permission to land. Proceed to the transmitted coordinates. A series of landing coordinated scrolled across Revan's display.  
  
Revan stared at the coordinates in disbelief. "Coruscant Control, are these coordinates correct?"  
  
"Affirmative Endar Talon. Follow the flight path and do not deviate from it. Coruscant Control out."  
  
"What is it?" Bastila asked.  
  
"These are the coordinates for the Jedi Temple," Revan answered, there was a slight tinge of shock to his voice.  
  
"The Jedi Masters are strong in the force, no matter what the era. Perhaps they sensed our arrival in the system."  
  
"If they did then who else knows we're here?" Revan wondered aloud as he entered the coordinates into the computer.  
  
They were silent as the Ebon Hawk flew towards the Jedi Temple. The Coruscant that spread out beneath them looked very much like the planet did in their time. The only difference was that the city seemed even more crowded, if such a thing was possible. The view reminded Revan of Taris before the Sith bombardment destroyed that planet. The comparison troubled Revan; Taris had been a decaying planet, its days of glory lost forever. If the same was true for the capitol of the Republic the consequences were unsettling at best.  
  
"We're coming up on the temple," Bastila noted.  
  
Like the rest of Coruscant the Jedi Temple looked much like it did in Revan's time. The only difference between it and the rest of the planet was that the temple was undimmed. The signs of decay Revan noticed in the rest of the planet were not visible. Revan circled the temple once before setting down on one of the landing pads that dotted the temple grounds.  
  
"Are you ready for this?" Revan asked Bastila. They were both still skittish about meeting other Jedi and to have to walk into the heart of the Jedi Order was a daunting prospect.  
  
"Of course I am. These are the Jedi, what do we have to fear?" Bastila replied sharply before getting out of the copilot's seat.  
  
"What indeed," Revan muttered to himself as he followed Bastila out of the cockpit.  
  
"Query: Do you require me to guard the ship Master?" HK asked Revan when he entered the main compartment.  
  
"That would be for the best, we wouldn't want you to blast a member of the Jedi Council," Bastila told the droid.  
  
HK stared at Bastila, "Statement: Quiet meatbag, I did not ask for your opinion."  
  
"Guard the ship HK," Revan said quickly to cut off the brewing argument. "We'll be back soon." Revan walked over to the boarding ramp. He paused to pick up his lightsaber from the workbench in the maintenance bay. He lowered the ramp and walked out of the Ebon Hawk with Bastila close on his heels.  
  
The pad they landed on was cut off from the rest of the compound by a high wall. The ground surrounding the ship was dotted with trees and shrubs that gave the pad the impression of being on a pastoral planet instead of the industrial Coruscant. IT reminded Revan of the enclave on Dantooine.  
  
Standing at the edge of the pad were two Jedi. One was a tall human who Revan thought resembled a young Jollee Bindo. The other appeared to be from Master Vandar's home plant. Both carried themselves with the air of a Jedi Master.  
  
"Welcome to Coruscant," the human said. "I am Master Mace Windu, and this is Master Yoda."  
  
"Curious I am as to who would carry a lightsaber, but not dress like a Jedi," Master Yoda said in reference to the lightsaber clipped to Revan's belt.  
  
"That I can explain..." Revan started to say.  
  
Yoda held up a clawed hand. "Not necessary explanations are. Distain for traditions you are famous for... Revan."  
  
"But how did..." Revan said, amazed that the tiny green Jedi knew his true identity.  
  
"When you arrived it created a disturbance in the Force. Those being who are exceptionally strong in the Force sensed that disturbance," Windu explained. "As for knowing who you are, there aren't that many Jedi who have wielded a lightsaber like yours."  
  
Revan reached down and touched the oversized hilt of this double-saber. "A lightsaber is just a tool, what's important is how you use it," he said mostly to himself.  
  
"If Revan he is, then Bastila Shan be you," Yoda said. "Honored I am to meet you both."  
  
"As are we Master Yoda," Bastila said with a bow. She found it remarkably easy to fall into her old patterns of deference to anyone with the title of Jedi Master.  
  
"Come, we have much to discuss," Windu gestured for Bastila and Revan to follow him.  
  
"How many people know that we are here?" Revan asked as they walked towards the temple.  
  
"Just the members of the Council," Windu replied. "We felt it best if your arrival was not public knowledge for now. Revan and Bastila are legendary, and controversial, figures in the Republic, and if we announced you were here now...it would make things complicated."  
  
"What is our standing in the Republic?" Bastila asked.  
  
"Even after all these millennia you and Revan are a divisive topic. Some people think you should have been punished for your crimes. That the Jedi are soft when it comes to policing their own. Others hail you as the saviors of the Republic. There are also those who regard you as the greatest romance in the history of the galaxy. There's an entire sub-genre of romance holo-vid that revolves around the two of you."  
  
"Romance holo-vids, about us?" Bastila said in astonishment. "Whatever for?"  
  
"Much mystery around your disappearance there was," Yoda said. "Theories there were many."  
  
"The most popular one was that you fled to the Outer Rim because you couldn't bear the thought of the Jedi Council separating you," Windu added.  
  
"What rubbish," Bastila scoffed. "We were on our way to Coruscant when all of this happened."  
  
"Tell me about the Sith," Revan said quietly. As much as he enjoyed hearing about he and Bastila's place in pop culture -- and he fully intended to torment Bastila with those holo-vids -- it was the Sith presences that troubled him.   
  
Windu looked around the hall they were walking through and the Padawans and knights who were giving the two masters and their companions a wide berth. "Not here, we will discuss this somewhere more private."  
  
Windu and Yoda lead Bastila and Revan through the Jedi Temple. Revan took the opportunity to examine the grandiose building. He knew that Darth Revan had spent time on Coruscant before his fall, but he could not recall any of those memories. He was struck by how oversized the temple was. While the enclave on Dantooine was designed for quiet reflection the Jedi Temple seemed to be designed to instill a sense of awe about the Jedi in its visitors. All things being equal Revan preferred the low-key approach taken on Dantooine, though he had a suspicion that his former self would have chosen the temple.  
  
Bastila also took careful not of their surroundings although her reaction differed from Revan's since she could remember her last trip to Coruscant. She was struck by how few Jedi there were. Even in her time, at the height of the war with Revan and Malak the temple had been bustling with Jedi. Now, even though the number of people she saw was not much smaller, the temple seemed less alive. It felt more like a museum than a living building.  
  
They finally came to a stop in the chambers of the Jedi Council. Even Bastila had never been there, the inner sanctum of the Jedi world. Revan could sense the Force residue of generations of Jedi Masters. The weight of history in the room was almost oppressive. The thing that surprised Revan the most was that the room did not feel especially strong in the Light Side. He decided that the politics that the council engaged in precluded a strong connection with the Light.  
  
"In all of the thousands of years the Jedi have occupied this room no one has ever managed to eavesdrop on a conversation held within it's walls," Windu informed them he and Yoda sat down in the padded chairs that lined the wall of the circular room. They did not indicated that Revan or Bastila should do the same. Revan briefly toyed with the idea of sitting down, but decided against it. "No before we discuss more sensitive topics there is the matter of your status within the Jedi Order. As you might have guessed the Jedi Council of your time had reached a decision when they summoned you to Coruscant."  
  
"What was their decision?" Bastila asked.  
  
"Passed the Trials you both had, full fledged knights you were to be named."  
  
"But I fell to the Dark Side," Bastila protested.  
  
"And yet returned you did," Yoda replied. "Just as important that is."  
  
"But what about us?" Revan asked.  
  
"The records show that the council debated long and hard about what to do with the two of you. IN the end however, it was decided that the best course of action would be to assign the two of you to different posts."  
  
"That's absurd and would have done more harm than good," Revan fumed. "Didn't they realized that it was our feelings for each other that helped destroy the Star Forge?"  
  
"This is not the time to get into a discussion on the merits of Bindowism. It's a debate that's been gone over a thousand times before." Despite his frustration Revan couldn't help smiling at Windu's reference of the cranky old Jedi. :In any event that decision was never formally approved and now your situation is more open to interpretation."  
  
"Meaning what?" Bastila asked.  
  
"Meaning we're not about to assign either of you anywhere just yet."  
  
"However remain the question does. What do we do with you, hmmm?"  
  
"You'll do whatever you decide is best for the Order, like the council always does," Revan said with a trace of bitterness in his voice.  
  
"Yes for the good of the Order we will," Yoda agreed. "But fallible the wisdom of the Council can be. Know this well you do," Yoda sighed. "Discuss this later we will. Other matters of more importance Jedi Revan wishes to discuss, yes?"  
  
Revan bowed his head. "Yes Master Yoda, ever since Bastila and I arrived in this time we've felt the presence of the Sith."  
  
"Sure of this are you?"  
  
"Of course I am," Revan snapped.   
  
"Yes you would," Windu agreed. "As would we. We've been aware of the Sith's presence for some time now."  
  
"You've known and done nothing?" Bastila exclaimed.  
  
"So sure of that are you?" Yoda asked sharply.  
  
"Their malice, it feels unchecked.," Bastila insisted.  
  
"Yes, the men on the Republic ship that found us seemed to be falling under the Sith's dominance," Revan said in Bastila's defense.  
  
"Ship?" Windu asked.  
  
"A Republic cruiser picked us up immediately after our accident. They tried to detain us as smugglers, but we escaped. I thought they would have broadcast our description across the galaxy by now."  
  
"There has been no such report," Windu said. "What was the name of this ship?"  
  
"The Intrepid."  
  
"Ah yes, Captain Brecktan. That would explain much," Windu mused. "We've suspected that the Sith have agents scattered throughout the Republic military and Captain Brecktan was one of the officers we suspected."  
  
"So the Sith know we're here," Bastila observed. "Why am I not comforted by that?"  
  
"Even if they know we're Jedi we never told anyone on that ship who we are," Revan pointed out. "So far as they know we aren't anyone special."  
  
"Why do you think that cruiser was out there?" Windu asked.  
  
"Brecktan said they were standing guard over a training exercise."  
  
"There are no war games scheduled to take place anytime soon. The Sith must have sensed your arrival and dispatched one of their agents to investigate."  
  
"But how could the Sith have gotten so powerful that they can count the captain of a Republic cruiser as one of their agents?" Bastila asked.  
  
"The Sith of this time are different than the Sith you fought. They stay in the shadows and influence events rather than directly take part. They've been building their network for a long time, allowing their agents the opportunity to work their way up the chain of command."  
  
"We have to find them," Bastila said. "If left unchecked the Sith will destroy the galaxy."  
  
"We have...attempted to ascertain the identity of the current Sith Lord, but so far he has eluded our best efforts."  
  
"Then let me find him," Revan offered.  
  
"The galaxy you know has been gone for four thousand years," Windu scoffed. "I doubt you could find your way to the Galactic Senate from here."  
  
"But I know the Sith, better than anyone else in the galaxy."  
  
Yoda nodded, "Truth you speak. Perhaps for the best it would be if hunted the Sith you did. A guide we can provide you. Master Windu, summon Master Kenobi." Windu nodded and walked out of the chamber. "Important it is that you keep your identities secret."  
  
"Why?" Bastila asked. "I can understand not wanting to tip our hand to the Sith, but to deceive a fellow Jedi strikes me as wrong."  
  
"Not important who you are. Cause more complications it will. Trust the wisdom of the Council you should Bastila Shan."  
  
"As you wish Master Yoda," Bastila said with a bow. "But I that does not change my opinion."  
  
Yoda chuckled. "Headstrong she is," he told Revan. "Attractive you find it, yes?"  
  
Revan smiled. "That is part of it."  
  
"Trust your feelings you should, but be ever vigilant for betray you feelings can. Know this already you do. Also, only Jedi Revan will Master Kenobi accompany."  
  
"What!" Bastila shouted. "I know the Sith just as well as Revan."  
  
"Contemplated your fall you have not. Conflict within you I sense. Meditate on this you should do first. Do this on you're your own you must. Also, two Jedi are not uncommon, three are suspicious."  
  
"I..." Bastila paused. "Yes, you are correct I apologize for my outburst."  
  
Yoda nodded, "NO necessary an apology is. Now for the time being Revan shall be known as Aarn Delwynn, And Bastila, Brin Kyja."  
  
Windu reentered the council chambers leading a bearded man not much older than Revan. The bearded man bowed to Yoda. "Master Windu said you wished to see me?"  
  
"Yes Master Kenobi, introduce you I would to Masters Aarn Delwynn and Brin Kyja."  
  
"Masters Delwynn and Kyja have spent the past few years searching the Outer Rim for evidence of the Sith at the behest of the Council," Windu explained. "It is their conclusion that the Sith are not hiding in the Outer Rim, but are here in the Core Worlds."  
  
"What is it you wish me to do?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"You have more experience with the Sith than anyone else in the Order. The council has decided that it would be prudent if you were to accompany Master Delwynn in his search of the Core Worlds."  
  
"But what about Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"Look after your Padawan I will," Yoda declared.  
  
"Well then, in that case when do we leave?"  
  
Deep in the heart of Coruscant Darth Sidious met with one of his agents. The spy, a worker in the Coruscant orbital traffic control, crept into the darkened room. His handler had summoned him to meet with Lord Sidious. He found the Sith Lord sitting on a dark throne in a low-lit room. There were no windows so the spy didn't know if he was underground or not. What he did know was that in this room he was very much alone, and his life was entirely in the hands of the robed figure sitting in front of him.  
  
"Report," Sidious demanded.  
  
"My lord, the ship you ordered me to look out for arrived today."  
  
"And did you divert it to the location I specified?"  
  
The agent wrung his hands. "No my lord, Jedi Master Mace Windu of the Jedi Council called my supervisor and ordered him to send the ship to the Jedi Temple."  
  
"And you went along with that request?" Sidious asked, his voice remained calm and collected.  
  
"I couldn't send the ship to another set of coordinates without risking exposing myself," the spy said desperately. "My supervisors would have asked too many questions if I didn't do what the Jedi asked for."  
  
Sidious nodded, "What's done is done. Is the ship still with the Jedi?"  
  
"Yes lord, and there is no sign it is going to leave anytime soon."  
  
"I want that ship kept under constant surveillance, if it moves I want to know."  
  
"I will make sure of it Lord Sidious."  
  
"I wasn't talking to you," Sidious replied coldly. The agent's handler stepped out of the shadows. "Did you hear all of that?"  
  
"I did lord," the handler replied.  
  
"Then we no longer need this failure." Before the spy could beg for mercy Sidious raised a withered hand and called forth blue bolts of Force Lightning. The spy howled in agony until his nervous system shut down. Sidious stared at the smoldering corpse. "We need a new agent in Orbital Control. This time recruit a senior controller."  
  
"Of course," the handler replied. He did his best to hide his disgust at the stench of burning flesh that permeated the room.  
  
"I want more information about this ship and its crew, and I am done tolerating failure," Sidious told the handler. "If we have another one of these breakdowns I will hold you personally responsible. Now go and take that mess with you." The handler grimaced as he dragged the corpse out of the chamber.  
  
Sidious stared at a picture of the Ebon Hawk taken while it was on the Intrepid. There was something about the ship and its crew that seemed familiar to Sidious, but he could not put his finger on it. "Whoever you are you have tremendous power," Sidious said to the picture. "Power that I must control for my own purposes...or destroy if it comes to that." He put the picture down and turned his attention to other matters.  
  
------- 

Author's Note: This is the last of my backlog. Currently I'm about halfway through the second draft of Chapter 5 and halfway through the first draft of Chapter 6. Everything is mapped out I just have to write it.  
-sam  



	5. Chapter 5

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Five  
  
Obi-wan and Revan sat in the cockpit of a scout ship the Jedi Council provided them for their mission. Revan had wanted to take the Ebon Hawk, but Yoda the Hawk was too distinctive for the low-profile mission they were on. Revan stared at the swirling colors of hyperspace and drummed his fingers on the ordinary lightsaber clipped to his belt, another concession to the Jedi Council. Considering all that Revan had given up to go on this mission Revan was starting to wonder if it was worth it. He glanced at the chrono and saw that they were still several hours away from their destination. "I'm going to practice in the back," he announced as he stood up. Revan walked back to the ship's crew area and started to run through a series of training katas with his new lightsaber. It had been quite sometime since he last used a single-bladed lightsaber and he wanted to work some of the rust off of his form.  
  
Obi-Wan followed Revan into the crew area. He was curious to see the unknown Jedi Master handle a lightsaber. When he walked into the room Revan was already well into his routine. Obi-Wan was amazed, he had never seen anyone move so fluidly with a lightsaber. He watched in silence as Revan ran through an advanced training routine with ease. Ob-Wan was tempted to challenge Revan to a duel. Ever since defeating the Sith on Naboo many in the Order considered Obi-Wan to be one of the premier swordsmen in the galaxy. However he recognized that he was far out of Revan's league and he didn't want to be embarrassed.  
  
That was remarkable Master Delwynn," Obi-Wan said when Revan finished.  
  
Revan shut down his lightsaber and turned to face Obi-Wan. "You are too kind Master Kenobi, and please, call me Aarn."  
  
"In that case call me Obi-Wan. Tell me, how did you get to be so skilled with the lightsaber?"  
  
Revan shrugged, "Perfecting training routines is hardly noteworthy. What's important is how you handle yourself when it counts."  
  
"I noticed you were using routines meant to defend against a lightsaber. Have you ever had to use them?"  
  
"On occasion," Revan said without elaboration. "What about you?"  
  
"I thought everyone knew that story."  
  
"I've been out of touch for a very long time," Revan admitted.  
  
"I'll say, it was during the crisis on Naboo. My master and I encountered a Sith Lord."  
  
"And you obviously struck him down since you're talking to me now. Yes, I can see how that would make you a celebrity," Revan mused.  
  
"But not before he killed my master," Obi-Wan said mournfully.  
  
"I'm sorry, I know what it feels like to lose someone you care about to the Dark Side." Revan was amazed at how easy it was to lie by telling the truth.  
  
"If I didn't know better I would say it was the Force's way of keeping me humble. If my memories of that day weren't so bittersweet I might be more inclined to view myself as some sort of great champion of the Force."  
  
"Seems like a harsh way to teach a lesson," Revan observed. "Especially since that assumes you were predestined to win."  
  
"I know, I've also thought that the Force simply demanded balance, one Jedi for one Sith."  
  
"It's been my experience that staring at your navel trying to unravel the meaning of the Force will accomplish nothing, other than helping you see how much lint is in your navel."  
  
Obi-wan laughed. "In that there is much wisdom."  
  
"So Master Kenobi, would you like to test your vaunted dueling skills against mine?" Revan asked.  
  
"But you just finished your training regimen," Obi-Wan protested.  
  
"That was barely a warm-up. Something to work off some nervous energy. So what do you say?"  
  
"What will we use for sabers?"  
  
Revan ignited his lightsaber. "I know I'm good enough to spar with this, how about you?"  
  
Obi-Wan was taken aback. Sparring with lightsabers, while not unheard of, was not something the Jedi regularly did -- the consequences of an accident were too great. However training blades were a poor imitation of the real thing. Ob-Wan removed his saber from his belt. "I suppose we're about to find out."  
  
The two Jedi circled each other for a moment before beginning the duel. Revan advanced on Ob-Wan with a series of slow, easily defended attacks meant more to gauge Obi-Wan's abilities than to score a hit. After Obi-Wan turned aside Revan's attack they retreated to opposite corners of the room.  
  
"Satisfied?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"Not hardly," Revan replied.  
  
The two Jedi walked back into the center of the room and resumed their fight. This time Revan increased the speed of his attack and drove Obi-Wan back towards his corner of the room. In desperation Obi-Wan called on the Force and knocked Revan across the cabin. Revan twisted in the air and landed gracefully on his feet.  
  
"Good, never limit yourself to just your saber when you're in a fight," Revan said. "And always be ready for your opponent to do the same." Revan raised his hand and shot a wave of Force energy at Obi-Wan.  
  
Obi-Wan was amazed at the amount of power Revan was able to channel. He was barely able to raise a shield in time. Even with the protection of the Force he was buffeted by the shockwave Revan unleashed. AS the wave passed by Obi-Wan looked up and saw Revan charging him, his saber poised to strike. Acting purely on instinct he dove forward and parried Revan's blow.  
  
"Very good," Revan said as he continued to bear down on Obi-Wan. The two sabers crackled and hissed filling the cabin with the stench of ozone. Obi-Wan strained to keep Revan from overpowering him. With Revan pressing down he couldn't move his saber. Instead he did the only thing he could do and swept Revan's legs out from under him. The move caused Obi-Wan to lose his balance and he also fell to the deck.  
  
The two Jedi picked themselves up off the deck and began circling each other. "Ready to give up?" Revan asked as he feinted with his saber.  
  
"Not on your life," Obi-Wan replied with a grin. He launched a flurry of attacks on Revan in hopes of catching the other Jedi off-guard.  
  
Revan swatted away Obi-Wan's charge and countered with an attack of his own. He was impressed, even though Obi-wan was not as strong as he was, the Jedi was still as good as any of the dark Jedi Revan had faced in his time. Revan decided that he had learned all he could about Master Kenobi from the fight. He called on the Force to boost his speed and renewed his attack.  
  
Obi-Wan was staggered by the increase in the intensity of Revan's attack. He felt his defenses weakening until finally Revan caught his lightsaber at the right angle and sent it flying across the cabin. Before Obi-Wan could call it back with the Force Revan had the tip of his blade to Obi-Wan's throat.  
  
"I think this means I win," Revan said dryly.  
  
"Indeed, it does. Congratulations Aarn, you truly are the best swordsman I have ever met."  
  
"You aren't too bad yourself," Revan admitted as he shut off his lightsaber.  
  
"But not the best you've ever seen."  
  
Revan shook his head, "I'd be lying if I said otherwise, but they were all dark Jedi so don't feel too bad."  
  
"Who was the best you've ever faced?" Even though he was older than the other man there was something about him that made Obi-Wan feel like a Padawan again.  
  
"That's easy it was..." Revan paused. He almost said Malak, but caught himself. "It was my best friend. He turned to the Dark Side, I tried to bring him back, but he was too far gone..." Revan fell quiet. The guilt he felt over Malak's death washed over him, but he quashed the feeling as quickly as it arose. Malak had followed Revan freely, his fate was not Revan's complete responsibility.  
  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." Obi-Wan could see he had touched on a sensitive topic.  
  
"No, it's alright, talking about painful memories is helpful, but we're not talking about this one again."  
  
Obi-Wan smiled, "As you wish Master Delwynn." Obi-Wan reached for a towel to wipe the sweat off his face. "How long were you in the Outer Rim?"  
  
"Longer than I intended," Revan said.  
  
"That's hardly an answer," Obi-Wan complained.  
  
"I'm a Jedi Master, I'm supposed to be cryptic," Revan said. "They'd take away my membership to the club if I gave you a straight answer."  
  
"I suppose that is how our Padawans see things," Obi-Wan admitted. "But I would like a more informative answer."  
  
"Sorry, you're not getting one," Revan said as he walked into the crew quarters.  
  
A short while later Revan found Obi-Wan sitting in the cockpit. "The fresher is free is you want it," he announced as he sat down in the copilot's seat.  
  
Obi-Wan nodded and stood to leave without saying a word to Revan. Revan sighed, he could tell that Obi-Wan was upset with him and that would make the mission that much harder. "Look, I know you have questions, but I can't answer them, and I can't say why."  
  
"But how do I know I can trust you?"  
  
Revan was reminded of a conversation held thousands of years earlier on a dead planet with a dead man. "Believe me when I say I know where you're coming form. All I can say is that you have to trust the Council."  
  
Obi-Wan sighed, "Alright you win, if I can't trust the Council who can I trust?"  
  
"Yourself. Always trust your feelings, no matter what anyone else says, even the Council."  
  
"But isn't that contradictory to what you just said?  
  
"Perhaps, but it's up to you to figure out when to take which piece of advice."  
  
Obi-Wan looked thoughtful for a moment, "You've given me much to think about Master Delwynn." He told Revan before walking out of the cockpit.  
  
The rest of the flight passed in silence until the navcomputer announced that they had arrived at their destination. Obi-Wan brought the ship out of hyperspace and they found themselves approaching a red planet.  
  
"Korriban," Obi-Wan announced. "I'm still not clear on why you insisted we start our search here. This planet has been deserted for thousands of years."  
  
"Over the years Korriban has been a stronghold of the Sith," Revan explained. "The Dark Side is very strong here and this is where anyone looking to restore the Sith would start."  
  
"Alright, so where should we start looking?"  
  
"There used to be a colony near the Sith ruins. That should be a safe place to set down."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded and steered the ship into Korriban's atmosphere. "The sensors are picking up the remains of the colony," Obi-Wan announced. "I'm setting a course for them."  
  
Revan watched the windswept landscape of Korriban as it sped past them. The last time he had seen this planet he had been reeling from the events on the Leviathan. This time his emotions were in just as much turmoil. The realization that everything he had ever known was now nothing more than dust was a hard one to grasp. In that respect he was grateful for the mind wipe the Jedi Council performed on him. Since all of his memories were fake it was easier for him to deal with their loss. He had no idea how Bastila was hanging on and he cursed himself for giving into the Council so easily. She should have been with him, the only person in the galaxy she knew, rather than surrounded by strangers in Coruscant.  
  
Revan was stirred from his musing by the scout ship landing. "We're here," Obi-Wan announced. "Now what?"  
  
"We go poking through some ruins," Revan replied as he stood up.  
  
"I know that's what gets me up in the morning," Obi-Wan quipped as he followed Revan out of the ship.  
  
The landing pad was much like Revan remembered it, except more decrepit. There were small plants growing up through cracks in the permacrete. The walls of the landing bay were beginning to lose their battle with the elements and were showing signs of falling down.  
  
Obi-Wan breathed in the harsh Korriban air. He could feel the Dark Side, it seemed like it permeated every inch of the ground. In all his time as a Jedi he had never experience anything like it. "Which way to these ruins?" he asked.  
  
Revan pointed at a rusted out blast door. "That way," he said.  
  
They were forced to use their lightsabers to cut open the blast door. Inside the abandoned colony they found more of the same, crumbling walls and cracked floors. In his mind's eye Obi-Wan could see the bloodstains from the poor souls who had died here. For Revan their walk through the remains of Dreshdae was even more draining because to him only a few months had passed since his last visit. He peered into the remains of the Czerka company store in the hope of finding something but instead found nothing but a collapsed ceiling. They came to a stop in front of another set of rusted blast doors.  
  
Revan reached out and touched the door. "I'm amazed these doors are still standing."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"This colony was founding over four thousand years ago, and from the looks of things was abandoned not long after that. It almost seems a shame to destroy something that's survived this long."  
  
"It's just a door," Obi-Wan pointed out.   
  
Revan activated his lightsaber. "I know." He sliced a hole in the door.  
  
The path to the former Sith Academy was strewn with boulders. Obi-Wan and Revan climbed over the obstacles as they made their way towards the still imposing ruins.   
  
"I'd say the Dark Side has an even stronger grip on this place than the colony, if that's possible," Obi-Wan commented.  
  
"Just wait till we reach the Tombs of the Ancient Sith," Revan quipped as he pushed on the door to the Academy. The decayed door groaned in protest but did not budge. Revan reached out with the Force and tried again. The door shuddered and crumbled in the face of Revan's efforts. Revan activated his saber and entered the Academy.  
  
"Much blood has been spilled here," Obi-Wan observed as he examined the imposing figures carved into the walls.  
  
"The Sith used this place to train new followers in the time of Revan and Malak," Revan explained. "Their training methods were not what you'd call pleasant."  
  
"I wouldn't imagine they would be," Obi-Wan said as he turned on his lightsaber. It's blue glow combined with Revan's to light the chamber."  
  
They searched the ruins of the Academy for signs of recent habitation. They were standing in what Revan recognized as Uthar Winn's quarters when Revan paused and looked around.   
  
"There's something not right about this," Revan announced.  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"Korriban's been abandoned for centuries right?"  
  
"More like millennia."  
  
"Wouldn't you think there's be more dust?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked around the room. He paid close attention to the thing layer of dust that coated everything. "I'm not expert but I think you're right."  
  
Revan thought for a moment. "So someone's been here, but not recently."  
  
"A Sith expedition perhaps?" Obi-Wan theorized.  
  
"Probably," Revan agreed. "But even in its time the Academy wasn't the main attraction of Korriban. If someone was looking for something to revive the Sith they'd look in the tombs." Revan lead Obi-Wan through the ruins to the door leading to the Valley of the Sith.  
  
"How do you know where to go?" Obi-Wan asked when Revan came to a stop in front of the remains of a door that lead out of the Academy.  
  
"Can't you feel it? The Dark Side is very strong in this direction," Revan answered. It was a half truth at best, but Revan knew it was that or tell the young Jedi Master the truth. It bothered Revan somewhat, but part of him enjoyed the deception. Aarn Delwynn wasn't a four thousand year old former Dark Lord of the Sith. It reminded him of a simpler time in his life when all he had to worry about was avoiding Sith patrols on Taris.  
  
Obi-Wan didn't notice that Revan was lost in thought. He was too busy trying to feel the Dark Side influence Revan spoke of. He closed his eyes and reached out with his other senses. Instantly he felt the Dark Side roil around him. He quickly let go of his connection to the Force for fear of being overwhelmed. "Yes, very strong," Obi-Wan stammered. "Are you sure we have to go out there?"  
  
"You're not afraid are you?" Revan asked with a smile.  
  
"Fear can be a good thing," Obi-Wan pointed out. "It teaches us humility. You just can't let fear dominate your life."  
  
"Don't worry, everything in that valley is long dead."  
  
"It's the dead I'm worried about," Obi-Wan muttered to himself as he followed Revan into a narrow, winding crevasse. Obi-Wan shivered as he looked at the tall walls of rock that nearly blocked out the sky. They were forced to scramble over a rockslide that clocked their path. Revan paused to examine the rubble from the slide.  
  
"This wasn't natural," he announced. "How can you be sure?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
Revan pointed to the rock wall. "See that, scorch marks, like from an explosive. Somebody wanted this path blocked."  
  
"The Sith?"  
  
"That would be my guess," Revan said as he continued towards the valley.  
  
The narrow path eventually spilled out into a large valley. It was remarkably unchanged from Revan's time. The four tombs still pocked out of the valley walls. The valley floor was littered with debris, but devoid of any signs of recent visitors. Revan spotted a clear patch on the ground and walked into the valley to investigate.  
  
Obi-Wan stayed at the mouth of the valley while Revan went ahead. "This is getting tiresome," he muttered to himself as he felt the Dark Side swirl around him like the wind that whipped at his clothes. He could sense an ancient malice that inhabited the valley. Obi-Wan steeled himself with a brief recitation of the Jedi Code and followed Revan into the valley.  
  
Revan stood over a small hollow in the valley floor. He bent down and ran his hand over the dusty ground. "Did you find something?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"A ship landed here," Revan announced. "The rocks are scorched and the dirt here has been fused."  
  
"Signs that a ship landed on this spot right, but that doesn't prove the Sith have been here recently."  
  
"No it doesn't, but I bet if we examine these tombs we'll find something."  
  
"Why are these tombs so important to the Sith?" Obi-Wan wondered.  
  
"The Sith are obsessed with their past. They always have been. They look to it for clues on how to regain the strength they once had," Revan explained.  
  
"Fair enough, so where do we begin?"  
  
Revan looked around the valley. "Where does the Force tell you?" Revan knew where he wanted to look, but he was curious if Obi-Wan had the insight to figure it out.  
  
"The tomb over there in the far left hand corner of the valley," Obi-Wan said after a moment. "The Dark Side is strongest there."  
  
Revan nodded, "Let's check it out." He was anxious to examine the tomb of Naga Sadow to see if the Star Map was still there.  
  
They walked towards the tomb with Revan in the lead. Obi-Wan was impressed with his ability to shrug off the overwhelming presence of the Dark Side. At the same time it was just one of many things about Master Delwynn that struck Obi-Wan as odd. He couldn't help wonder if Aarn Delwynn wasn't being truthful with him. Obi-Wan squashed those thoughts quickly. The Jedi Council had placed Aarn on this mission and the Council could not be fooled by anyone.  
  
They came to a stop in front of the tomb's ponderous stone door. Revan called on the Force to open the door which slid open with ease. With their lightsabers at the ready the two Jedi entered the tomb. The interior of the tomb was surprisingly well preserved. The floor was clear of debris and the corridor was lit by a string of work lights.  
  
"I guess this definitely proves that someone has been here," Obi-Wan noted as they walked into a large intersection of two hallways.  
  
"You go left, I'll go right," Revan ordered. Obi-Wan nodded and walked off towards the room Revan pointed to. Revan wondered if the trap in the room he sent Obi-Wan to was still functional. The slamming shut of the massive stone door said that it was. Revan wasn't concerned about Obi-Wan's safety. He knew the trap wasn't lethal, and Kenobi seemed smart enough to get himself out without any problems.  
  
Revan chose not to examine the chamber where he fought the Terrentaks. He could feel himself being drawn to the heart of the tomb, to the Star Map. The acid pit that blocked his path on his first visit had either evaporated or leeched away and in its place was a deep pit. Revan cleared the chasm with a Force-assisted jump and walked into the Star Map's room.  
  
The room was just as Revan remembered it with the Star Map dominating the area. Revan walked over to the Star Map. He was curious if the map held more information that it has in his time. Before he could activate the map his surroundings dimmed and visions began to appear before him. He saw impossibly large warships destroying defenseless cargo ships. He saw figures clad in white armor slaughtering innocent civilians. He witnessed the extermination of the Jedi and the destruction of the Jedi Temple. He watched in horror as a planet he couldn't identify exploded. Throughout all the scenes of death there was one constant; a figure hooded and cloaked. Revan could not see the being's face but the malice it bore marked it as the Dark Lord of the Sith. The images continued until Revan was overwhelmed and he fell to the ground.  
  
Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief when the large door snapped open. Being caught in a millennia old trap had been both unexpected and unsettling. Fortunately the trap proved to be more a nuisance than life-threatening. He looked around but could not see Revan. He reached out with the Force and followed the path the other Jedi took.  
  
"Master Delwynn?" Obi-Wan called out when he entered the Star Map chamber. His concern for Revan grew when he found him lying face down on the floor. "Master Delwynn!" Obi-Wan shouted as he rushed to Revan's side.  
  
Revan groaned as he regained consciousness. "Bastila, where's Bastila?" He said. In his disoriented state he could not feel the bond between the two of them.  
  
"Who's Bastila?" Obi-Wan asked. "Did you hit your head?"  
  
Revan paused a moment to collect himself. "No, I'm fine, just a little disoriented." He tried to stand up which caused his vision to swim.  
  
Obi-Wan reached out and caught him by the arm. "Easy there, what happened?"  
  
"When I walked into the room, I had a vision. It must have been too powerful for me to handle."  
  
"A vision of what?"  
  
"The future, if we don't stop the Sith," Revan said gravely.  
  
"Is that what I think it is?" Obi-Wan asked. He pointed at the Star Map.  
  
"It's one of the five Star Maps Revan found," Revan confirmed. He walked over to the map and tried to activate it, but the map remained closed.  
  
"After all these years it's probably broken," Obi-Wan offered.  
  
Revan frowned, "The Rakatans used a self-repairing technology," he muttered to himself. "The Star Maps survived 30,000 years before Revan found them. Unless they drew their power from the Star Forge itself," Revan shrugged. "Regardless it doesn't work now." He looked around the room. "Which leaves us where?"  
  
"Well it's obvious that someone has visited this tomb recently, but we're no closer to finding out who they are." Obi-Wan frowned, out of the corner of his eye he saw a cargo crate hidden in the shadows. "This might help," he said as he went to examine the crate.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"A shipping container, and we're in luck. I recognize the logo on it. It belongs to a shipping company owned by a Hutt crime lord named Pardu."  
  
"And where can we find this Pardu?"  
  
"I believe he operates out of Nar Shadaa. It certainly makes a good starting point."  
  
"Nar Shadaa it is then. There's nothing more for us here."  
  
As they walked out of the tomb a man dressed all in black watched them from the rim of the valley. He recorded their movements until Obi-Wan and Revan returned to the Academy and then took out a com. "Prepare a message for Lord Sidious, the Jedi have found the valley." The man got into a speeder hidden behind and outcropping and raced off away from the valley.  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Six  
  
Bastila growled in frustration at the computer terminal in front of her. She was trying to look up information on her friends and had met with little luck. Carth and Juhani had extensive records of their exploits after the destruction of the Star Forge, but the rest had simply faded into history. Bastila supposed that was how they wanted it, but it frustrated her efforts to find some connection to her past. She looked around the too spacious apartment the Council provided her in the Temple and sighed. She knew the real source of her discontent did not lie in four thousand year old records, but with something closer to home. Revan's latest communiqué said that he and Master Kenobi had discovered a possible lead to the identity of the Sith, but little more than that. She hoped that the pair would return to Coruscant to report their findings on Korriban, but Master Yoda decided it would be better if they instead went straight to Nar Shaddaa and gave a full report later.  
  
Ordinarily Bastila would not have minded. A Jedi serves at the whims of the Council and personal preference was a secondary concern. However times were far from ordinary and the truth of the matter was that Bastila felt very much alone without Revan. She chided herself over it, but her emotional side remained fixed on the fact that she was very much out of place, and Revan was one of the few links left to her old life.  
  
"Statement: I am most displeased with the master's latest report. I would feel much better if I was at his side protecting his frail organic body from meat bag treachery," HK-47 said from the corner of the room he was standing in.  
  
Bastila sighed, HK-47 was one of the other links; a fact she did not appreciate. She also was not comfortable with the knowledge that the two of them agreed on something. "I know how you feel HK, but Revan has to keep a low profile, and you are hardly low profile."  
  
"Correction: On the contrary miss, I am here because of you."  
  
"Wait, what, go over that again." In all the time she had known the droid it had never referred to her in a respectful manner.  
  
"Explanation: Before he left Master Revan gave me new orders. I am charged with your protection, and in the event something should happen to Revan you will be my new master."  
  
"And what are your feelings about that? You must know I don't like you."  
  
"Statement: My feelings are irrelevant. I can only do what my master orders. If that means placing myself in the care of a meat bag such as yourself then that is my lot in life."  
  
Bastila paused, she had never heard such fatalism in a droid before. "I find it hard to believe that a droid as deadly as you would stand for such a thing."  
  
"Statement: You flatter me miss, but my programming is quite inflexible on the subject. I must obey my master."  
  
"Well it hardly matters since Revan will be returning from this mission unharmed."  
  
"Agreement: yes the master does exhibit remarkable survival skills...for a meat bag."  
  
"But in the event something does happen to him I promise I will refrain from having your core personality altered. It's what Revan would want." Before HK-47 could reply Bastila felt the presence of two Force sensitives outside her room. "Someone is coming, we'll discuss this later."  
  
"Query: Should I go on alert?"  
  
"Of course not, just be quiet, and don't talk about blasting meat bags," she ordered the droid.  
  
The door chime beeped and when Bastila opened the door she saw Master Yoda with a boy in his teens. "Master Kyja, my apologies for disturbing your meditation, but meet someone I want you to."  
  
"It is no trouble at all Master Yoda, please come in."  
  
"Time to stay I have not. Here to introduce you is all. Master Kyja present to you Anakin Skywalker, Master Kenobi's Padawan he is."  
  
"Hello Padawan," Bastila said formally. The boy nodded, but did not say a word.  
  
"Urgent Council business I have. Watch over Padawan Skywalker you will." Yoda stumped off before Bastila could reply.  
  
"Well then come in and make yourself at home," Bastila told the boy. Silently she cursed the little green Jedi Master. Who was she to look after a Padawan? She was no master, despite what Master Yoda said, and she painfully remember the last time she had been entrusted with the care of a Padawan.  
  
"Thank-you for taking time out of your busy schedule to look after me while my master is away," Anakin said as he entered the room.  
  
Bastila noticed how formal the boy's speech was. It was as if he was saying what he thought he was expect to say, not what he truly felt. It was something Bastila knew well from her own days as an apprentice and Padawan. "Oh nonsense, I was getting bored looking through old records. It's nice to have a chance to meet such a promising young Jedi like yourself." She was astounded by how strong the Force was with Anakin. With the proper training and time she was sure he would be a match for even Revan.  
  
"What do you want to teach me while we kill time until master Yoda returns?" Anakin asked in an almost sullen voice.  
  
Bastila was surprised at the amount of anger that lay beneath the boy's words. She was about to chide him for his poor attitude, but held back. She remembered he own time as a Padawan. He was strong with the Force and he knew it. Nothing she said would change the boy's attitude. "Why don't you start by telling me a little about yourself." Bastila motioned for Anakin to sit down on one of the ouches in the apartment.  
  
Anakin sat down and began to talk about his experiences since joining the Order. Bastila noticed that he never referred to his life before the Order. She wondered if that was the cause of the anger and fear that bubbled in him. She was also curious why Anakin had not been taught to control those emotions better, for a Padawan of his power his grasp of his emotions was very raw.  
  
Everything about Anakin seemed off to Bastila. It was obvious that the Council expected great things from him, yet he was being trained by a neophyte master. Bastila remembered her training had been overseen by a senior member of the Order. Revan also received the same treatment. Bastila quickly decided that there was more to the boy's story than he was willing to tell, or knew.  
  
"So tell me, why do you want to be a Jedi?" Bastila asked when Anakin finished talking.  
  
"That's easy, a Jedi fights for those who can't fight for themselves. I want to bring justice to the Galaxy."  
  
There was something about the way Anakin explain himself that gave Bastila a chill. He sounded too much like Revan before his fall, or herself if she was honest about it. "I was thinking we might have a little history lesson. Tell me, what do you know about Jedi Revan/"  
  
"He was an ancient Jedi who defeated the Mandalorians and then fell to the Dark Side," Anakin recited.  
  
Bastila nodded and sat down across from Anakin. "That's right, do you know why he fell?"  
  
Anakin shrugged, "He found an artifact of the Dark Side that corrupted him?"  
  
Bastila shook her head. "No he was already on the path to the Dark Side before he sought out the Star Forge."  
  
"Then let me guess, it was because he was headstrong and didn't listen to his master?" Anakin sarcastically offered.  
  
"Whatever makes you think I would say something that trite?" Bastila countered. "No Revan fell because of his desire to do good. It was his zeal to defeat the Mandalorians that doomed him."  
  
"So you're saying he shouldn't have fought the Mandalorians? But weren't they closed to destroying the Republic?"  
  
"It is true the Republic was loosing the war and that Revan turned the tide. However the tactics Revan used were brutal and the cost in lives after he and Malak became Sith eclipsed even the Mandalorians. Revan came within a hair's breadth of shattering the Republic, and all because he wanted to save it."  
  
"Then should I just stand by and do nothing for fear of falling to the Dark Side if I act?"  
  
"I did not say that. You should always do what you think is right, but you also need to understand that we all walk the path to the Dark Side, and you need to be ever vigilant that you do not stray too far down that path."  
  
Anakin nodded, "I will keep that in mind." Bastila could see that the young Padawan was not convinced by what she said.  
  
"Query: Will you be needing my services tonight or can I shut down?" HK-47 asked from his alcove.  
  
Anakin turned and saw HK-47 for the first time. "Oh you have a droid." He walked over to HK and examined the droid.  
  
"Cautionary: Touch me and lose an arm meat bag."  
  
Anakin stared at HK-47 in surprise. "I've never heard a droid say that. I've also never seen a droid like this." He turned to face Bastila, "What is it?"  
  
"Annoyance: If you have a question about this unit please direct them to me."  
  
Anakin regained his composure and looked at HK-47. "Alright then, what are you?"  
  
"Statement: I am KH-74, advanced diplomacy droid." Bastila was relieved that HK understood the need to stay incognito.  
  
"I know every model of droid in the galaxy, why haven't I heard of your designation?"  
  
"Explanation: Because I am a custom creation of my master, Aarn Delwynn."  
  
"You're not a diplomacy droid, you're built for combat. I can tell by your armor plating."  
  
"Explanation: When diplomacy fails force is often required to achieve your objective. My master felt it best that I could defend myself in those situations."  
  
Bastila watched as Anakin continued to talk to HK-47. She prepared herself to intervene when the boy's attempts at prodding the droid provoked the inevitable hostile reaction. Much to her surprise HK-47 relented and let Anakin examine a few of his subsystems. Bastila hoped the droid had sense enough to keep the boy away from his memory core.  
  
"So Anakin, you like droids?" Bastila asked in an attempt to make conversation.  
  
"I like anything mechanical," Anakin replied. "You know where you stand with machines. You can predict how they'll behave and repair them when they break. They're not like sentients who lie and hurt people for no reason."   
  
"Statement: When a droid acts it's always for a reason," HK-47 added. Bastila noticed that the droid said nothing about lying or hurting.  
  
The door chimed and Master Windu entered the room. "Anakin, Master Yoda would like you to see him in the meditation room."  
  
Anakin bowed and began to walk out of the room. "Master Kyja, would it be ok if I stopped by later to visit KH?"  
  
"I suppose that's up to KH," Bastila replied.  
  
"Statement: Stop by anytime young organic." He looked at Bastila, "Clarification: The little meat bag has an almost droid-like way about him when he's working on my servos."  
  
"Well, you heard the droid. Come by whenever you want. Now I suspect Master Yoda doesn't want to be kept waiting." Anakin nodded and ran out of the room. Bastila waited until the door closed before she addressed Windu. "What was that all about? I know there are plenty of people available to baby-sit the boy. Why me?"  
  
"Master Yoda wanted you to spend time with Anakin," Windu explained. "He was curious what your impressions are."  
  
"Of Anakin? He's power, given the time and training he could challenge Revan..." she trailed off.  
  
"But?"  
  
"I'm hesitant to mention it, but are you sure it is wise to leave the training of such a powerful student in the hands of a green master?"  
  
"You don't think Master Kenobi can properly train Anakin?"  
  
"I think anyone that strong in the Force needs very close supervision from an experience master lest they fall to the Dark Side."  
  
"I recall reading about two Padawans, both strong in the Force, who received their training from the very highest in the Order, yet they both fell to the Dark Side."  
  
Bastila's face colored, "Yes Revan and I did fall, but it was entirely different reasons."  
  
"You and Revan fell because you were young and lacked the wisdom to properly handle the power you could wield," Windu countered.  
  
"Are you saying Anakin will gain that wisdom from Master Kenobi?"  
  
Windu shook his head. "You of all people should know that the wisdom I speak of cannot be taught. That whether or not a person turns to the Dark Side has more to do with the sort of person they are and not with the training they receive." Windu saw the fury that blazed in Bastila's eyes. "Does that trouble you?"  
  
"What do you think?" Bastila shot back. "You just said I am predisposed to the Dark Side. You're completely ignoring the torture Malak put me through to break me."  
  
"But you still turned willingly. Malak's torture helped you along the path, but it was you who rejected the Light." Windu chided Bastila.  
  
"I..." Bastila recalled the conversation she had just had with Anakin. "Yes, you are correct Master Windu," Bastila said as her anger dissolved away and all she was left with was shame.  
  
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Windu said in a softer tone. "You had the strength of character to turn back to the Light. That is a significant feat, and one you should be proud of." Windu paused. "In any event Master Kenobi was entrusted with Anakin to honor the dying wish of Master Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi who found Anakin."  
  
"But why..." Bastila started to ask.  
  
"Master Jinn knew that Obi-Wan shared his belief in what Anakin represents, something the Council as a whole does not."  
  
"What is that?"  
  
Windu stood silent for a long moment. "It is not my place ot say. All you need to know is that Anakin is special and will play an important role in shaping the galaxy for years to come."  
  
Bastila could tell she wasn't going to get anything more from Windu. "You're talking an awfully big risk with this boy. I hope you know what you're doing/"  
  
"Believe me," Windu sighed. "I do too. Now if you'll excuse me I have taken up far too much of your time. Windu bowed and walked out of the apartment.  
  
Bastila looked over at HK-47 and sighed. "Time is something I have far too much of."  
  
Elsewhere on Coruscant a tall, gaunt man entered the chambers of Darth Sidious. "What news my apprentice?" Sidious asked.  
  
"My Lord Sidious," Darth Tyrannus said in a deep resonant voice. "We have word from Captain Brecktan. He has reached Kashyyyk and is beginning his search."  
  
"Excellent, tell Captain Brecktan to conduct the search as quickly as possible. I might have another use for him when he is done with this mission."  
  
"I will make sure that he gets the message," Tryannus promised. "My lord, there is another matter. We received a message from Korriban."  
  
"Korriban? They are not supposed to transmit to Coruscant."  
  
"They know that, but there were special circumstance. A ship landed on Dreshdae."  
  
"Smugglers?"  
  
"The ship is registered with the Jedi Order," Tyrannus cautiously said.  
  
"The Jedi?" Sidious hissed. "How many?"  
  
"Two. Our observer was unable to identify one, but the other was master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker's master."  
  
"So Kenobi left Skywalker behind...they are hunting us Tyrannus. The other Jedi is undoubtedly a master as well. Did they find the valley?"  
  
"Yes and they entered the Tomb of Naga Sadow."  
  
Sidious fought down his anger at the thought of the Jedi disturbing Sith holy ground. "But they did not find the new Academy?"  
  
"No they went straight to the tomb and left the planet as soon as they were finished."  
  
Sidious filed that information away for later consideration. "If they found the tomb then it would be safe to assume they uncovered the Nar Shadaa connection. Have it take care of, but do not use your pet bounty hunter. He has other business to attend to and we cannot risk the Jedi finding him at this point."  
  
"I will take care of the matter," Tyrannus promised. He turned on his heel and strode out of the chamber.  
  
Sidious contemplated this latest development. Something told him that the unknown Jedi was connected with the mystery ship docked at the temple. He did not know what it was, but something about that ship was spurring the Jedi to action. Sidious was determined to find out what it was and deal with it in whatever way was necessary. He was far too close to obtaining his goal to do anything less.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
A/N: That's all there is for now, expect Chapter 7 in about two weeks or so.  



	7. Chapter 7

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Seven  
  
"Nar Shadaa," Obi-Wan announced as he piloted the ship into the moon's atmosphere. "You will be hard pressed to find a more vile den of pirates and smugglers. We must be very careful.:  
  
"Don't worry, I can take care of myself," Revan assured Obi-Wan.  
  
"That wasn't what I was worried about. We don't want word getting back to the Sith that a pair of Jedi were nosing around their pet Hutt."  
  
"You're suggesting we go incognito?" Revan asked.  
  
"It would seem to be the best course of action. You don't have a problem with that do you?"  
  
"Of course not, I like to think of myself as a master of disguise," Revan smiled at his joke. "I'm more worried about finding Pardu. I know Hutts are hard to hide, but it's a big city."  
  
"Pardu is a crime lord, they always have a favorite spot where they hold court," Obi-Wan said. "And according to my sources Pardu remains hidden inside his palace. It seems that one of his ancestors met a particularly gruesome end on Sleheyron and Pardu wishes to avoid a similar fate."  
  
Revan wondered if Pardu's ancestor was Bochaba, the Hutt HK-47 briefly worked for. "So we're dealing with a paranoid Hutt. How are we going to get an audience?"  
  
"We need to find a way to set up a meeting, perhaps offer our services as smugglers or bounty hunters?"  
  
Revan shook his head. "If Pardu is as paranoid as you say he is there's no way he'd meet a couple of new recruits. That sort of thing will be handled by an intermediary. No what we need is something valuable..." Revan paused. "Tell me, how much do lightsaber crystals go for these days?"  
  
"They can fetch a hefty sum , especially on the black market. Why do you...oh I see, but you have any spare crystals?"  
  
"I think I can manage," Revan said confidently.  
  
Obi-Wan piloted the ship down to one of the landing pads that dotted Nar Shadaa. From the cockpit they could see an ill-tempered looking Duros flanked by pair of glowering Trandoshians. "Let me handle this," Revan told Obi-Wan. He stood up and strapped on a gun belt that held two lethal-looking blasters. He also slid his lightsaber into a holster in the small of his back underneath his armor.  
  
"Are you sure you won't need any help?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
Revan looked out the window. "Nah, there's only three of them."  
  
Despite Revan's assurances Obi-Wan followed him out of the ship, pausing only to pick up a modified blaster carbine Revan had brought along. When Revan revealed his small armory to Obi-Wan while they were enroute to Nar Shadaa Obi-Wan had questioned why a Jedi Master would need such crude weapons as blasters and explosives. Now he was glad Revan was over prepared.  
  
Outside the ship Revan walked up to the collection of aliens. "Greetings humans," the Duros said in his native tongue. "I am Ixdril. I represent the Port Authority for Nar Shadaa. State your business."  
  
"We're just a couple of independent businessmen looking for some work," Revan replied coolly in the same language.  
  
If Ixdril was impressed at Revan's linguistic ability he did not show it. "There's not much work to be hand on Nar Shadaa. Why don't you try Alderaan or Dantooine."  
  
"They don't offer the kind of work we specialize in. We'll take our chances here."  
  
The Duros shrugged, the well-being of a couple of humans weren't his concern. "In that case it costs a hundred credits to dock. More if you require any services."  
  
Revan reached into a pocket and pulled out a few credit chips. "Here's a hundred for the docking fee and a bit more to keep our names off of the official register."  
  
"You expect me to take a bribe?" Ixdril asked in indignation. The Trandoshain muscle stirred and Obi-Wan tightened his grip on his carbine in case the situation turned violent.  
  
Revan did not flinch. "I would never bribe an obviously upright public servant like yourself. Think of it as a gratuity for your hard work." Obi-Wan could see Revan send out tendrils of Force to soothe the mind of the Duros. Obi-Wan had enver witnessed such a subtle use of the Force on another being's mind.  
  
Apparently Revan's smooth talk was enough to appease Ixdril's honor. "Thank-you I will make sure the necessary paper work is filed. Enjoy your stay on Nar Shadaa." The Duros bowed and walked away from the platform.  
  
"I didn't know you spoke Duros," Obi-Wan commented.   
  
Revan shrugged. "That and just about every other language human vocal chords can handle. It comes in handy if you're not restricted to Basic."  
  
"I can see that," Obi-Wan now understood why the Council had sent Revan to the Outer Rim. Such linguistic virtuosity would come in handy on the fringes of the galaxy. "I should probably leave this behind, shouldn't I?" Obi-Wan indicated the carbine he was holding.  
  
"That probably would be a good idea," Revan agreed. "We wouldn't want to scare anybody now would we? Come on, there are some Mandalorian blasters in the ship that you should be able to handle."  
  
"On second thought that's alright I'll just go without. I've never been good with blasters anyway," Obi-Wan said when they were back in the ship.  
  
"Look, just wear the things. If for no other reason that for show," Revan told Obi-Wan as he thrust a gun belt at him.  
  
Obi-Wan sighed and took the gun belt. "You're right, I wouldn't much look like a fierce space pirate if I wasn't armed to the teeth."  
  
"I hate to break it to you, but you a pair of blasters won't make you look like a space pirate...maybe if you wore a patch over one eye," Revan offered.  
  
"Let's just find Pardu," Obi-Wan said curtly. He knew Revan was joking but he wanted to make the other master sweat a little while.  
  
"He y come on," Revan said as he followed Obi-Wan out of the ship, "It was just a joke."  
  
"You wouldn't happen to know any nearby bars?" Obi-Wan asked as they stood at the entrance of the space port.  
  
Revan shook his head, "This is my first time here, but I bet I know how to find one." He flagged down a speeder taxi. "When in doubt ask a cabbie."  
  
"Where to humans?" The driver, a Rodian, asked.  
  
"We're looking for a good palce to rustle up some work," Revan told the Rodian. "Do you have any suggestions?"  
  
"What sort of work would a couple of humans like yourselves be interested in?"  
  
"We hear that Pardu the Hutt is in the market for a fast ship," Obi-Wan said.  
  
"Pardu is always in the market for a fast ship," the Rodian replied, "But he's hell on his pilots. Are you sure you want to work for Pardu? My cousin runs a nice, legal shipping business. It doesn't pay as much, but you don't have to worry about being blown out of the sky by Jabba the Hutt or whichever of Pardu's rivals he's at war with this week."  
  
"We're in a bit of a money crunch," Revan explained.  
  
"Who doesn't have money problems these days?" The Rodian commiserated. "Oh well, our funeral. I'll take you to a bar where one of Pardu's lieutenants hangs out. He's a Twi'lek named Baz." The Rodia engaged the taxi's engine and shot into the flow of traffic.  
  
As the speed darted through the crowded Nar Shadaa traffic at breakneck speed Revan stared at the city below them. Nar Shadaa was the sort of place that laws did not apply and it didn't care who knew it. Revan sighed as he caught a glimpse of a club that advertised its Twi'lek dancing girls. Revan was sure they did more than just dance for the customers. Revan half listened to the Rodian talk about the state of Nar Shadaa. According to the Rodian cabbie the Republic was going to hell in a hand basket and from what Revan could see he had to agree.  
  
The taxi set down next to a seedy looking bar. "This is the place," the cabbie said. "You guys sure about this?"   
  
Revan handed the Rodian a handful of credits, "We're positive, thanks for the ride." The cabbie took the credits without comment and sped away from the bar.  
  
"I've never liked Nar Shadaa," Obi-Wan commented as a chemical smelling rain began to fall. "I came here once when I was a Padawan. My master and I were tracking down a slaver. It's the smell that's the worst."  
  
Revan had to agree about that, the odor that permeated the air reminded him of the Lower City on Taris, only a great deal worse. "It's got all the urban decay of Coruscant with none of the charm, what's not to love?" Revan quipped as he surveyed the urban canyon they stood in. It was the perfect spot for an ambush Revan felt as he took note of all the possible sniper locations. "Come on, let's get out of this rain. I think it's starting to eat through my armor."  
  
"I do believe you're right," Obi-Wan commented.  
  
As soon as they entered the bar Revan's senses were assaulted by the sights and sounds inside. It brought back memories of similar meetings on a hundred different worlds. Revan fought hard to suppress those memories since they belonged to Dannel Keld, the fictional smuggler the Jedi Council had imprinted on him.  
  
The bar itself was low-lit and filled with smoke from a variety of sources. A band blared from one end of the room. The only talent the band possessed was the extremely high volume they played at; which conveniently blocked most listening devices. The rest of the available wall space was taken up by dimply lit booths where a wide range of species were holding quiet conversations.  
  
Revan walked up to the bar and motioned for the bartender to serve him. "What can I get you?" The bartender, an Ithorian, asked.  
  
"Corellian Brandy, on the rocks, make it a double," Revan told the Ithorian. "I could also use some information."   
  
"Information costs, just like the drinks," the Ithorian informed Revan.  
  
Revan withdrew a credit chip and slid it across the bar. "Will this cover both?"  
  
The bartender pocketed the credit, "For now. What do you want to know?"  
  
"My associate and I are looking for a Twi'lek named Baz. We heard he can be found here."  
  
"Why are you looking for him?"  
  
"We have a business proposition for him."  
  
The Ithorian glanced over at a corner of the bar. Obi-Wan followed the Ithorian's gaze and saw an Aqualish standing in front of a door. The Ithroian nodded and the Aqualish disappeared behind the door. "I haven't seen Baz around," the Ithroian said, "But maybe you'll get lucky." The Ithroian walked off to serve another customer.  
  
"He's lying," Obi-Wan noted.  
  
"Of course he's lying," Revan replied. "It's all part of the routine. Right now they're checking us out to make sure we aren't bounty hunters or assassions. Just order yourself a drink and relax." Revan sipped on his drink.  
  
Revan on his second brandy when a Twi'lek flanked by two Gamorreans walked up the Jedi. "You wanted to see me?" Twi'lek asked.  
  
Revan set down his drink. "You Baz?" The Twi'lek nodded. "I've got a business offer for your boss and I was told you have the ear of the throne."  
  
"You flatter me human, but what is your name?"  
  
"Dannel Keld, and this is my associate...Goran Kenobi. As for our business that's between us and your boss."  
  
Bax laughed. "Surely you must know that Pardu's business is also my business."  
  
Obi-Wan watched the verbal back and forth and marveled at Revan's ability to play a role. If he hand't known better he never would have guessed the man sitting next to him was a jedi. All traces of Aarn Delwynn were gone and in their place was this rough spacer. It was a very unconventional use of the Force, but a highly effective one.  
  
Revan looked around the bar, "Can we discuss this somewhere a little more private? There are too many prying eyes here."  
  
"Certainly, we can talk in my office." Baz motioned for Obi-Wan and Revan to follow him.  
  
They followed Baz into a psarse back office. Obi-Wan noticed that the Gamorrians stood guard over the office door, preventing them from leaving. "Now then, what is this business?"  
  
Revan reached into his belt pouch and removed one of his lightsaber crystals. "You know what this is right? Would your boss be interested in it?"  
  
Baz could barely contain his excitement. "Yes! Er, I mean he might be interested. Let me check." The Twi'lek walked out of the office, pausing only to mutter instructiosn to the Gamorreans.  
  
"I do believe he is going to try and double cross us," Obi-Wan muttered to Revan.  
  
"I think you're right, too bad for those Gamorreans."  
  
When the door closed behind Baz the two Gamorreans advanced on the Jedi. "The boss says you're going to give us the sparkly." One of the Gamorreans grunted.  
  
"It's quite sad really," Obi-Wan said conversationally. "You think you're entering into an honest business agreement and then the other side tries to backstab you."  
  
"The whole galaxy is going to pot," Revan agreed.  
  
"Give us the sparkly," the other Gamorrean declared. "Or else!"  
  
"At the risk of sounding like a cliche, or else what?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
The Gamorreans had not expected the two humans to refuse them and now were unsure what to do next. They quickly settled on doing what they were good at, beating people up. The fight ended quickly. Even though the Gamorreans had the superior strength they lacked the training and Force abilities of the Jedi.  
  
Baz reentered the room and found his two Gamorreans lying on the floor unconscious. "Did you think you could just take our property from us?" Revan asked Baz. "Take us to Pardu now, or else we go to one of his competitors and send a message to Pardu telling him what he missed out on, and why."  
  
To his credit the Twi'lek did not bat an eyelash. "There's a speeder out back."  
  
Pardu's estate turned out to be just another unremarkable skyscraper in the Nar Shadaa skyline. There was nothing about the building to suggest what sort of business was conducted inside. The only thing that hinted at being out of the ordinary were the blaster canons discretely hidden throughout the building's exterior.  
  
The speeder landed on the roof and they were met by another group of Pardu's toughs. Baz got out of the speeder first and spoke quietly to the leader of the goons. "Right this way," he told Obi-Wan and Revan.  
  
The interior of the estate was as opulent as the exterior was plain. Pardu clearly spared no expense in furnishing his residence. Obi-Wan noticed that Paru's extravagance also extended to his security systems. Blaster turrets were nestled beside priceless tapestry and each room sported heavy blast doors that looked like they could repel an army.  
  
Baz led the two Jedi into an enormous throne room that was dominated by a window that filled an entire wall of the room. Pardu rested on an ornate throne that groaned under the weight of his immense bulk.  
  
"Who have you brought me Baz?" The Hutt boomed.  
  
"Humans your eminence, with a business proposal," Baz said.  
  
"Let's hear it human," Pardu ordered Revan.  
  
"Not while you have all these people around," Revan said.  
  
"Do I look stupid human?" Pardu asked.  
  
"You look smart enough to know what I have, and to know that I set the conditions of the negotiations. Besides, what do you have to worry about? You've got more remote blasters in this room than a battle station."  
  
Pardu laughed. "I like you human, you have guts. Very well." Pardu waved his henchmen out of the room. "Now then, what is it you want from me?" The Hutt asked after the last of his men filed out of the throne room.  
  
"You transported cargo to Korriban. We want to know who your client was."  
  
"My clients value their privacy," Pardu replied.  
  
"We're prepared to offer you this," Revan said as he held out a crystal. "It's pure Nextor crystal, and I have more where this came from. Do we have a deal?"  
  
Pardu laughed. "You're not one for bargaining are you human? There isn't much to say about the Korriban runs. A Correlean named Alton Behl offered me a substantial sum of money to fly supplies to Korriban. My pilots just drop off the cargo and leave. They never see anyone. So long as the money keeps coming I don't care."  
  
Before Revan could say anything the bay window behind them exploded. Obi-Wan and Revan dove for cover as three armor clad figures stormed through the empty window firing heavy blasters.   
  
Obi-Wan crawled behind a pillar to give himself a chance to regroup. He looked around and saw that Revan was pinned down in the middle of the room with no cover. Obi-Wan drew one of his blasters and took careful aim at one of the attackers. His shot hit the middle assassin squarely in the head. The gunman emitted a short scream before falling to the ground. The other tow attackers turned and opened fire on Obi-Wan, their shots splashing harmlessly against the stone pillar.  
  
That was all Revan needed for an opening. He drew his blaster pistols and quickly cut down the other two assassins.  
  
"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked Revan.  
  
"I'm fine, but I can't say the same for Pardu," Revan replied. The Hutt had taken the brunt of the attack and his body was a ruined mass of blaster hits.  
  
Obi-Wan searched the bodies of the assassins looking for clues to their identities. "They're Mandalorians judging from their armor, and this is why the security system hasn't engaged." Obi-Wan held up a small electronic device. "A jammer."  
  
"We need to get out of here before Pardu's henchmen show up," Revan said. "They probably won't be happy about their boss's untimely demise."  
  
They found an open-air speeder hovering next to the blown out window. Revan hopped onto the speeder and raced the engine. Obi-Wan jumped on board and they flew away from the estate just and Pardu's henchmen burst into the throne room.  
  
Later that day when they were safely en route to Correllia Obi-Wan called the Council to report on their progress. "...regretfully we were only able to get the name of Pardu's contact before he was assassinated."  
  
"Were you able to determine who was behind Pardu's assassination?" Windu asked.  
  
"Unfortunately no, there was no time to investigate."  
  
"A rival gang it probably was," Yoda decided. "Done well you have Master Kenobi. Success I am sure you will have."  
  
"Thank-you for keeping us appraised of your movements," Windu said. "Is there anything else?"  
  
"Actually yes there is," Obi-Wan said after a moment's hesitation. "It's about Master Delwynn."  
  
"What about him?" Windu asked.  
  
"I'm not sure entirely, there's just something about Aarn that seems off to me. There's more scoundrel than Jedi about him."  
  
"Master Delwynn has spent most of his life in the Outer Rim," Windu explained. "You have to have a wide range of skills in order to survive there."  
  
"Vital knowledge Aarn Delwynn has," Yoda added. "Listen and learn from him you should."  
  
"Obi-Wan, Master Yoda and I hand picked Aarn Delwynn to accompany you on this mission. We would not have done so if we did not trust him completely."  
  
Obi-Wan sighed, "You are right Master Windu, it's just that I've never seen a Jedi look more at east in the ciminal underbelly."  
  
"It's an ability to blend in with his surroundings," Windu explained. "And it's something more Jedi should be adept at."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded, "A fair point. I will report in again when I have more information."  
  
"May the Force be with you," Yoda intoned before ending the communication.  
  
On Coruscant Yoda and Windu watched the miniature image of Obi-Wan flicker out. "He suspects," Windu noted.  
  
"Of course he suspects," Yoda huffed. "Trained him well we did."  
  
"And if he finds out the truth?"  
  
"About Revan? Worried not I am about that," Yoda declared. "The other truth troubles me. Clouded the Force is."  
  
"But surely the arrival of Bastila and Revan alters things," Windu argued.  
  
"Changed have your meditations?" Yoda asked sharply. "Sudden clarity have you gained?"  
  
Windu shook his head, "No I wish I could say otherwise."  
  
"Then continue on we must. If Bastila or Revan learn the truth, deal with it we will. Gathering the storm is my friend. Do what we can for the Republic we must."  
  
"I only hope it is enough," Windu mused.  
  
-------------------------  
Author's Notes: And so it continues. Chapter Eight is getting off the ground. Also, if it wasn't apparent contextually this story redates AotC. Again, Two weeks till the next installment.  



	8. Chapter 8

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Eight  
  
Bastila walked into the council chambers and found Yoda and Windu waiting for her. "You wanted to see me?" She asked.  
  
"We've discovered what Captain Brecktan was doing when he found you," Windu said. "Our intelligence sources say that the Intrepid is currently in orbit around Kashyyyk."  
  
"Kashyyyk, why would..." Bastila started to ask.  
  
"Know you not why someone would be interested in Kashyyyk?" Yoda asked. "History you do have with the home of the Wookies."  
  
"The Star Map?" Bastila asked incredulously. "But the Star Forge was destroyed."  
  
"True, but the secrets of the Star Forge remain locked on Rakata. The Sith know this as well as anyone and desire that information."  
  
"So why don't they just go to Rakata?"  
  
"Rakata disappeared shortly after the Star Forge battle. The Rakatan elders requested the Republic quarantine the planet until they were ready to rejoin the galactic community," Windu explained. "We never heard from them again."  
  
"So that means the only people who know the location of Rakata are myself and Revan," Bastila concluded. "And you obviously require that knowledge."  
  
"Need to know we do not," Yoda said. Protect that information you should."  
  
"Then you want me to go to Kashyyyk? To make sure they don't find the Star Map."  
  
"Of course not, if you were spotted by Brecktan's people it would cause problems," Windu said. "All we need from you is the location of the Kashyyyk Star Map. I will travel to Kashyyyk and investigate the matter. With that knowledge and a fast ship I should be able to find the Star Map before the Sith agents do."  
  
"Oh," Bastila said, her face coloring slightly. "Well the precise data is stored in T3-M4's memory. I will have to get it from him."  
  
"That's alright, just get me the data in an hour's time," Windu told Bastila.   
  
"I will get right on it," Bastila promised. "By your leave?"  
  
"Go, and may the Force be with you," Yoda said to Bastila. After Bastila left the Council chambers Yoda looked up at Windu. "Planted the seed do you think?"  
  
Windu looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes, I believe we did."  
  
Onboard the scout ship Revan activated the ship's com system. "Obi-Wan, we've arrived."  
  
Obi-Wan walked into the cockpit as Revan was bringing the ship out of hyperspace. "I have some contacts on Coronet we can use to locate Behl," he told Revan.  
  
"Good, the quicker we can find him the better chance we have of finding him alive."  
  
"How can you be sure of that?"  
  
"They killed Pardu didn't they?"  
  
"Couldn't that have been the work of a rival gang?"  
  
Revan shook his head, "Do you know any crime lord who can afford three Mandalorians? Besides it's too big a coincidence that they attacked so soon after we learned about Pardu's involvement with the Sith."  
  
"And if the Sith knew we found Pardu then they would move quickly to remove Pardu's point of contact with them." Obi-Wan mused. "It certainly is a compelling theory. I will start on my contacts right away."  
  
Revan negotiated with the orbital traffic control while Obi-Wan ran through his list of contacts on the planet. Revan encountered no difficulties in securing landing clearance and he directed the ship to a spaceport on the outskirts of Coronet.  
  
They were met on the landing pad by a shifty-looking human. "Hello there spacers can I interest you in some of my fine products?"  
  
"We're not interested," Revan said curtly.  
  
Obi-Wan caught Revan by the arm. "Not so fast Aarn, let's hear this man out. Tell me sir, what are you selling today?"  
  
"I can show you, but not here. There's a cantina down the street, meet me there." The peddler shuffled off.  
  
"Let me guess, that was your contact?" Revan asked Obi-Wan as they walked to the cantina.  
  
"Yes, he likes to play these cloak and dagger games."  
  
The cantina was the standard sort of place that existed near spaceports across the galaxy. Obi-Wan and Revan found themselves an empty table and waited.  
  
They did not wait long. The peddler slid into the booth next to Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi, it is good to see you again."  
  
"It is good to see you too Tals," Obi-Wan said to the man.  
  
"My apologies for the greeting at the spaceport, but you can never be too careful. Who's your friend?" Tals asked.  
  
"This Aarn Delwynn, a fellow Jedi Master. Aarn Delwynn meet Tals Stropets."  
  
"Nice to meet you Jedi," Tals said. "Your message was a little vague Obi-Wan, you said you were looking for someone?"  
  
"A man named Alton Behl. All I know about him is that he's a Corellian."  
  
"Just because he's Corellian doesn't mean he actually lives in the Corellian system," Tals pointed out.  
  
"We know that," Obi-Wan said. "but we have no other leads at this point."  
  
"And it must be sensitive if you weren't willing to tell me is name over the coms," Tals noted.  
  
"The person who directed us to this man was killed shortly after doing so," Obi-Wan admitted. "We are looking for someone who can be circumspect in his inquiries."  
  
"Can I ask what makes this man so deadly?"  
  
"No you cannot," Revan flatly answered.  
  
Tals shrugged, "Simple curiosity, nothing more. I will see what I can do."  
  
"Thank-you Tals, and be careful. This man is tied up with people powerful enough to order a hit on a Hutt crime lord."  
  
Tals's eyebrows rose, "So you were the mysterious pair who killed Pardu. I knew therew as more to that story. Don't worry yourself Obi-Wan. If I am anything it is discrete. Wait for me on your ship." Tals then stood up and left the cantina.  
  
"Are you sure he can come through for us?" Revan asked.  
  
"Tals is the best data collector in the Corellian system," Obi-Want allowed. "If anyone can find Behl he can."  
  
"If you say so." Revan stood up. "I'm going for a walk. It's been a while since I last visited Corellia and I'm curious how things have changed."  
  
"Want some company?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
Revan shook his head. "Not really, besides someone has to wait up for Tals."  
  
"Tals will only deal with people he knows," Obi-Wan noted. "Very well, if you get a chance go to a market and pick up some fresh food. I'm tired of the rations on the ship."  
  
Revan chuckled. "I'll see what I can do," he told Obi-Wan before talking out of the cantina.  
  
Revan had no clear destination in mind as he wandered through the streets of Coronet. He simply wanted a chance to see the ebb and flow of life. He had gotten a sense of how the galaxy now worked, but he had not been able to see how ordinary people live their lives. He stopped in little shops and ordered food and other supplies for the ship. For a few extra credits the shop owners were more than happy to deliver Revan's purchases to the ship.  
  
As Revan shopped he inquired about the state of affairs. "It's getting harder," One of the shopkeepers allowed. "It's not that times are rough, but the cost of business keeps rising, if you know what I mean."  
  
"Off the books insurances payments?" Revan guessed.  
  
"Right you are. I'm getting by, but if business ever slows down I'll be in trouble."  
  
"Can't you go to the police, or the Jedi?"  
  
The shopkeeper laughed derisively, "The Jedi, I know the Jedi mean well, but they are ineffective. Some Jedi came through Coronet last year. They cleaned up all the crime bosses and corrupt local officials and turned them over to the Republic. What happened? The rich ones bought their way out and the replacements of the poor ones turned out to be just as corrupt! Don't get me wrong, I respect the Jedi, but they're antiquated. When the biggest criminals in the Republic are the very intuitions that hold the Republic up what chance does anyone, even a Jedi have of changing things?"  
  
"The potential to change the galaxy rests in everyone," Revan said. "Never forget that."  
  
"The only person that even remotely applies to is Chancellor Palpatine. He's the only person who's actually done something about the corruption. The way he went after the Trade Federation, that gives you hope he can clean up the Republic." The shopkeeper shook his head, "But that's just a fool's dream."  
  
"The only fools are those who do not follow their dreams," Revan counseled the shopkeeper.  
  
The shopkeeper bowed his head, "Thank-you Master Jedi..." he paused, it was as if he was debating with himself about something. "May the Force be with you," he finally said.  
  
"And may the Force bless your shop with prosperity for years to come," Revan replied as he walked out of the shop.  
  
Revan decided that he should return to the ship to see if Obi-Wan had received word from his contact. As he walked back to the spaceport Revan reflected on his conversation with the shopkeeper. He was troubled by what he had heard. IN his own time corruption was no uncommon, Czerka certainly proved that point. However the systemic graft that allegedly existed was something Revan expected to hear about on Sleyheyron or Taris, not Corellia. Revan could see how the Sith could use that to their advantage. Their promise of power and order would be all the more seductive when presented to people used to weak and corrupt leaders. Revan was so lost in thought that he almost walked past the spaceport. He chided himself for not paying more attention to his surroundings and walked up to the scout ship.  
  
He was about to enter the ship when the boarding ramp descended and Obi-Wan walked out. "Oh there you are, good," Obi-Wan said. "Tals contacted me, he found Behl."  
  
"Where is he?" Revan asked, his concerns about the Republic temporarily forgotten.  
  
  
"On the other side of Coronet," Obi-Wan replied. "Apparently he is a Republic bureaucrat. I was about to go secure us a speeder."  
  
"Let's go get him."  
  
They flew their rented speeder to the other side of Coronet. It turned out that Behl was a minor functionary at the Chancellor's regional office. "To think that such scum could be working for the Chancellor," Obi-Wan fumed as they approached Behl's office.  
  
"The Sith have very persuasive ways of getting people to work for them," Revan pointed out.  
  
They walked up to the secretary sitting outside Behl's office. "Can I help you?" The secretary, a vapid-looking human female, asked.  
  
"Yes, is Alton Behl in?" Obi-Wan asked. "We have some questions about the import/export business."  
  
"Mr. Behl is in, but he's not seeing visitors at the moment."  
  
"That's ok, we have an appointment," Revan said. He pulled open his robe slightly to reveal the hilt of his lightsaber, stilling the secretary's impending complaints.  
  
After Obi-Wan and Revan entered the office the secretary took a com out of her desk. "Yeah, you wanted to know if a Jedi ever came looking for Mr. Behl? Well two of them just walked into his office." She switched off the com. The secretary did not know why she'd been asked to do this, just that she was getting paid handsomely to do so. She put it out of her mind and returned to work.  
  
Behl's office was small with space for just a desk and some chairs. Behl was a slight man with a receding hairline and wore a well-tailored suit. "Who are you?" Behl demanded in a high-pitched voice. "What's the meaning of this?"  
  
Revan ignited his lightsaber. "I think you know who we are, and why we're here. Now talk."  
  
"If I talk to you I'm a dean man," Behl retorted.  
  
"You're a dead man if you don't." Revan replied, his voice cold. "Do you really think your masters will believe you if you say you didn't tell us anything."  
  
"You can't make me talk," Behl said defiantly.  
  
"Here's what's going to happen," Obi-Wan told Behl. "We're taking you into our custody. What happens after that is up to you." Obi-Wan walked around the desk and pulled Behl out of his chair.  
  
They quickly hustled Behl out of his office and out of the building. "Where are we taking him?" Revan asked.  
  
"The Jedi Council maintains a safe house in Coronet," Obi-Wan replied as he pushed Behl into their speeder. "We can interrogate him there then turn him over to the Republic authorities."  
  
The safe house was a small building in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Coronet. The interior of the house was sparsely appointed, there was enough furniture to look like someone lived there, but not enough for anyone to actually do so. Obi-Wan tied Behl to one of the few chairs in the house.  
  
"Alright, now tell us about the Sith," Obi-Wan ordered Behl.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Behl replied.  
  
"We know about the cargo runs you organized to Korriban through Pardu the Hutt. We know about the Sith on Korriban. The only thing we need from you is the identity of the Sith."  
  
"You don't know jack," Behl sneered. "Where's your proof?"  
  
"That's where you're wrong," Revan said. "You're the proof. You will tell us everything you know about the Sith," Revan said, putting as much Force persuasion as he could behind his words.  
  
"You can ask all you want, I'm not telling you anything."  
  
"Oh but Alton, you already did," Revan said cheerily. "See I happen to know for a fact that the Sith condition their agents to be resistant to Jedi mind tricks. Now as Master Kenobi can attest I just threw a hell of a lot of Force power at you. There's no way someone as weak-willed as you would be able to resist that. Therefore you are a Sith agent, and that will stand up in court, and you know what happens in you go on trial."  
  
Behl realized he'd been caught and hung his head. "Look, I'll talk, but you've got to protect me. I wasn't kidding before. If they find out about this my lift isn't worth a mynock dropping."  
  
"The Jedi Council can protect you," Obi-Wan assured Behl. "Now tell us everything you know about the Sith."  
  
"I don't know much, everything is kept compartmentalized. My handler, and no I don't know his name, told me to set up the cargo runs with Pardu."  
  
"And that's all you know?" Revan asked.  
  
"That's all they told me."  
  
"But why do it at all?" Obi-Wan asked. "You know what the Sith represent."  
  
"Yes I do, power. You Jedi are so blind, a new order is coming, and you're powerless to stop it."  
  
"I do not fear the Sith," Revan said. "They have risen before and the Jedi have beaten them back."  
  
"Not this time Jedi. Look, I might not officially know things, but I'm not stupid, I keep my eyes open. The Sith have more influence than you can imagine. It wouldn't surprise me if there was a Sith Agent in Palpatine's office."  
  
Obi-Wan glanced at Revan. "If he is correct a Sith agent placed that highly in the Republic could be catastrophic."  
  
"If you were trying to take over the galaxy where you start?" Revan asked Obi-Wan rhetorically. "How do you know all of this?" He asked Behl.  
  
"Like I said, I keep my eyes open. If you know where to look you can find things, hints, clues, the outlines of the full scope of the Sith's plan."  
  
"But why tell us now?"  
  
"That's easy, information is power. I tell you, you give me something."  
  
"AS I said, you will be taken into the protective custody of the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan said.  
  
"That's what I wanted to hear, and I've got something better, just to sweeten the pot for you. I don't know the name of the Sith Lord, but I know where you find start looking. Tell me, where did the Sith threat begin?"  
  
"Korriban, but we've been there already," Revan quickly answered.  
  
"You're thinking far too broadly," Behl replied. "Master Kenobi knows the answer."  
  
"Naboo, the Sith first revealed themselves during the crises on Naboo."  
  
"Yep, I heard that Naboo is connected with the Sith somehow."  
  
"Alright, I will contact the Jedi Council and they will see to your safety," Obi-Wan told Behl.  
  
"What happens until then?" Behl asked as Obi-Wan and Revan headed for the door.  
  
"Be very quiet," Revan advised. "Don't worry, a Jedi will be here shortly to escort you to Coruscant."  
  
"Are you sure this is wise?" Obi-Wan asked Revan as they headed for the spaceport. "What if the Sith find him before the representatives from the council arrive?"  
  
"You said it was a safe hour right?" Revan asked. "That means the Jedi are the only ones who know where he is. And besides, what other choice do we have? We need to get to Naboo quickly and we can't afford to have a Sith agent tagging along."  
  
"You're right, but I don't like it."  
  
"Neither do I, but finding the Sith is our top priority, nothing else matters," Revan said with such zeal that it startled Obi-Wan.  
  
Later that day Alton Behl was foraging for food in the safe house when he heard the door open. "About time the Jedi showed up," he muttered to himself as he walked into the living area. "What to you guys so..." Behl's complaint died in his throat when he saw the figure standing in front of him.  
  
"Alton," Darth Tyrannus said. "it's time for you to pay for your treachery."  
  
"My Lord Tyrannus," Behl stuttered. "It's not what it looks like."  
  
"It looks to me like you were talking to the Jedi."  
  
"But I haven't told them anything important. I didn't tell them about you or your plans."  
  
"You told them the Sith existed, that is treason all on its own." Tyrannus raised a hand and began to choke Behl using the Force.  
  
"But they already knew that!" Behl pleaded as he clawed at the invisible hand around his throat. "They even knew about the conditioning!"  
  
Tyrannus released his grip on Behl, "Where did you send the Jedi?" he asked.  
  
"To Naboo," Behl gasped.  
  
"I take it back, you have done well Alton, all things considered. I will spare you."  
  
"Oh thank-you Lord Tyrannus..." Behl began to say. His gratitude turned to terror when Tryannus activated his lightsaber. "You said you were going to spare me!" Behl protested as he backed away from Tyrannus.  
  
"Trust me Alton, the death I originally planned for you was much more painful. This is a mercy." Tryannus rammed his lightsaber through Behl's chest, obliterating the man's heart. Behl coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell backwards. He was dead before he hit the ground. "Such is the fate of all who betray the Sith," Tyrannus said to Behl's corpse before walking out of the Jedi safe house.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
Author's Notes: And we keep rolling along. Thanks for the kind words folks, check back in two weeks for Chapter Nine.  



	9. Chapter 9

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Nine  
  
Bastila watched the timer on the navcomputer as it ticked down to zero. Each tick brought her that much closer to her final destination, Rakata. Ever since master Windu said its name Bastila had been consumed with thoughts of the planet. She decided that the Force was telling her to go to Rakata. She requested the use of a Council ship from Master Yoda but did not tell him what she intended. She was sure the diminutive Jedi would disapprove of her decision. Fortunately Master Yoda approved of her request no questions asked.  
  
Her only companions on the trip were the two droids. She needed T3 because the little droid had the hyperspace coordinates for Rakata stored in his memory banks. It had been Bastila's intention to leave HK-47 behind, but the assassin droid insisted that he go along. In the fact of such protest, as well as concern for what HK might do if left to his own devices, Bastila relented and allowed him to accompany her. She had to admit to herself that she was glad HK was there, the droid was an effective fighter and Bastila remembered the herds of wild Rancors that roamed Rakata.  
  
The navcomputer announced that they were at their destination and Bastila brought the small transport out of hyperspace. Unbidden the memory of the first time she saw Rakata washed over her. It was during her imprisonment by the Sith, but before Malak turned her. Malak had her brought from her cell and onto the bridge of the Leviathan.  
  
"Ah Bastila, I wanted you to see this," Malak said in his metallic-tinged voice. "You were searching for the Star Forge so diligently, I thought you would appreciate seeing it." Bastila was so drained from her last torture session that she could barely raise her head to look at the blue green planet and enormous space station that lay in front of the ship. "Here is where the Sith draw their power," Malak said. "Can't you feel it calling to you? Give in to it Bastila, you have too much power to let it be fettered by outmoded Jedi morality."  
  
"You're wasting your breath Malak, I'll never turn to the Dark Side," Bastila retorted.  
  
Malak laughed, "You say that now, but let me fill you in on a little secret. I said the same thing to Revan before he turned me, and Revan said the same before he turned. Once your eyes are opened to the true power of the Force you will gladly shed your old beliefs and join me."  
  
At the time Bastila hadn't believed Malak, what he said sounded preposterous to her. She hadn't understood how truly seductive the Dark Side was. No Jedi was safe from its pull. She regretted that she had to learn that lesson the hard way.  
  
"Query: T3 wishes to know if you are going to land the ship anytime soon, or if he should do it for you?" HK asked in an irritated tone.  
  
Bastila sighed in annoyance, "HK we're still on approach to the planet, we won't be landing anytime soon regardless of who is flying. I don't see why you're so eager to get to Rakata anyway."  
  
"Explanation: it has been a long flight and this is not a large vessel." HK left little doubt as to what he meant.  
  
"Yes well you're no prize either," Bastila retorted.  
  
"Correction: On the contrary, I am quite the prize. My estimated worth is several hundred thousand credits." T3 chirped in reply. "Clarification: I know Master Revan purchased me for a measly three thousand credits. I was deliberately undervaluing myself in order to be purchased from that miserable waste of a meatbag Yuka Laka." T3 whistled in reply. "Annoyance: I am not listening to you."  
  
Bastila smiled to herself. She never fully understood what the little utility droid said, but she appreciated the way it could get under HK-47's metaphorical skin. "The other reason I haven't attempted to land the ship is because I want to check the status of the disruption field. I would hate to crash land and have no way to get home. I would have thought T3 would know that." T3 beeped in the affirmative. HK growled, but said nothing. "Is the field active?" Bastila asked T3. The little droid emitted a negatory whistle. "Ok, I'll head for the Rakatan elders village.," Bastila announced as she pointed the transport towards Rakata.  
  
The transport roared through the Rakatan atmosphere. As they skimmed across the Rakatan ocean Bastila reached out with the Force and tried to sense the Dark Side presence that used to permeate the planet. To her surprise the Dark Side seemed nowhere near as strong as she remembered it. However a feeling of death and tragedy still hung over the planet.  
  
As they approached the island the Rakatan Elders called home Bastila saw that the Temple of the Ancients still stood. Memories of her torture at Malak's hands welled up in her mind, but she hurriedly fought them back.  
  
They flew over the beach the Ebon Hawk crash landed on. Bastila remembered watching the crash from the temple. She knew that Revan would survive the crash and meet her at the temple. Looking back on it Bastila realized that she wasn't sure if she had wanted to turn Revan to the Dark Side or him to bring her back to the light. She knew which she now wanted to believe, but feared that at the time her motives were less pure.  
  
T3 chirped that they were over the location of the Elder's village. Bastila stared out the window and saw that the village was nothing more than an ancient ruin. "Statement: This must be the reason the Rakata disappeared from the galaxy, they suffered another cataclysmic event," HK said. "Conjecture: Given the violent nature of the Rakatans this was probably their own doing."  
  
"T3 are you picking up any signals from the remains of the village?" Bastila asked. T3 beeped that he wasn't. "Very well, I had hoped that we could get the Rakatans aid in entering the temple. I guess we will just have to make do without."  
  
Bastila landed in the meadow in front of the Temple. She stared at the spire of rock. The Dark Side hung heavy in the air. Bastila could feel it calling out to her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She still did not understand why she had come to Rakata, but she knew it had to do with her fall and the Temple.  
  
"Query: How will we get into the Temple? It was my understanding that it required the aid of the Rakatan meat bags."  
  
"If you've been in the temple already the central computer would store your brain patterns and allow you back inside." Bastila explained. "Malak encoded my brain waves into the computer. If it's still operational we should be able to get in and if it's not then I doubt the barrier is still up," Bastila walked up to the mammoth stone doors which silently swung open.  
  
The interior of the Temple was unchanged. Bastila doubted that anyone hat set foot inside since the Battle of the Star Forge. "Come on," she told the droids. "We need to find the central computer, it can tell us what happened to the Rakatans."  
  
They walked down to the lower level. Bastila shuddered every time she passed the skeletal remains of a fallen Sith or saw a decayed lightsaber. As she stared into the empty eyes of a skull she thought she could hear the Sith taunting her. "Get a hold of yourself," Bastila thought. "Now is not the time to be imagining things."  
  
Bastila walked into the basement with great trepidation. Malak had tortured her there and she had foresworn the light there as well. She felt like she was living a nightmare as she and the droids made their way to the central computer. From her perspective only a few months had passed since her fall and redemption. She could not help but wonder if the urge to visit Rakata had not come from the Dark Side in an attempt to lure her back.  
  
They stopped outside the door to the computer room. Bastila steeled herself for what lay beyond. She had questions and the answers lay beyond the door in front of her. "There is no fear," she muttered to herself as she unlocked the door.  
  
The door slid open and Bastila entered the room, the droids close behind her. The room was unchanged from her time. The central computer still sat in the middle of the room, humming quietly. Bastila approached the computer and activated the interface terminal.  
  
"Hello Bastila Shan," the computer said. "It has been a long time."  
  
"You remember me?" Bastila asked in astonishment.  
  
"Of course, I remember every entity I come into contact with. Your brain patterns are somewhat different than the last time, but when I applied what I call the Revan-adjustment I was able to identify you."  
  
"But it's been almost four thousand years since I was last here!"  
  
"I am well aware of that, however I observed your hyperspace jump that brought you here. Based on the residual energy pattern left behind I was not surprised when you reappeared in this time."  
  
"You observed it?"  
  
"Yes, the Raktan sensor net still exists even though the Rakata do not, and to answer your next question the Rakatan sensors use what you call the Force to power themselves. That is why no one in the Republic knows they exist."  
  
"That is remarkable," Bastila admitted. "You said the Rakata were no more, what happened to them?"  
  
"The Rakata could not overcome their violent nature. Eventually a leader arose who was able to crush the Elders. The knowledge he gained from them allowed him to subjugate the remaining Rakata. His rule did not last long however and all the Rakata were wiped in the resulting civil war."  
  
That's horrible!" Bastila exclaimed.  
  
"Statement: On the contrary, such a mass slaughter of organics would be a beautiful thing to see," HK said. Bastila glared at the droid and he sensed the danger he was in. "Clarification: When I say beautiful I mean beautiful like a black hole or a super nova. Terrible if you're involved, but pretty from afar."  
  
Bastila decided it would be best if she ignored HK from now on. "How long ago did this happen?" She asked the computer.  
  
"Not long after the Star Forge was destroyed, a few centuries at the most."  
  
Bastila had to remind herself that to a thirty-four thousand year old computer a few centuries was a short amount of time. "Alright, but how is it that you're still operational? Didn't you draw your power from the Star Forge?"  
  
"This structure was a prototype for the Star Forge, therefore the loss of the Star Forge did not impact my systems. The same cannot be said for the Star Maps. They did draw their power from the Star Forge and without it they are inactive."  
  
"So there is no way anyone could find Rakata?"  
  
"Not through the Star Maps," the computer confirmed.  
  
"And has anyone visited you since Revan and I were last here?"  
  
"No, you are the first person I've spoken to since Revan last accessed me. Is that what brought you here?"  
  
"The Sith have returned," Bastila explained. "I was concerned that they might have acquired some Rakatan technology."  
  
"No one has access my database," the computer repeated. "That is not to say they did not take something when Revan and Malak controlled the Star Forge of course."  
  
"Thank-you, that is most helpful," Bastila paused. "Is there anything I can do for you? It must be quite lonely here."  
  
"Your concern is appreciated but unnecessary. I am, after all, a machine. I do not have emotions as you understand them. Besides, with my access to the Rakatan sensor net I have a sufficient amount of information to keep my processors occupied."  
  
"Statement: A life without meatbag interferences. If it wasn't for my duties to Master Revan I would ask to stay."  
  
"You'd hate it here," Bastila informed the droid. "There's nothing larger than a womprat for you to kill."  
  
"Statement: An excellent point, and one that I overlooked. Without the opportunity for wanton carnage my existence would not be worth continuing. Query: Is there any reason for our continued presence here?"  
  
"No I don't believe there is, we can return to Coruscant immediately."  
  
They returned to the main floor in silence. When they arrived at the front door Bastila paused. She felt a compulsion to go to the roof, where she first confronted Revan. She found herself walked up the stairs without having made a conscious decision to do so.  
  
"Query: I thought we were heading back to the ship, was I mistaken?" HK asked. With a wave of her hand Bastila used the Force to close the door to the stairwell. She could dimly hear HK and T3's protests, but continued up the stairs.  
  
Standing on the crosswalk to the Temple's landing pad was a figure dressed in dark robes, an ornate mask covered his face. Bastila immediately knew that the figure was Sith. "I am not afraid of you," Bastila said. "The Force is my ally."  
  
The Sith did not respond. Bastila ignited her lightsaber and assumed a defensive posture. The Sith activated his saber and advanced on Bastila. "come no further," Bastila warned. "I do not want to destroy you!" The Sith continued his advance. Bastila tried to immobilize the Sith with the Force but he was able to resist her attempt. The Sith warrior raised his saber and swung at her head.  
  
"Very well," Bastila said as she blocked the attack. "I did not want to do this but you left me no choice," She spun her dual-bladed saber and counter-attacked.  
  
In truth Bastila had never been particularly good with a lightsaber. Once her skill at Battle Meditation manifested her training had focused solely on that. She was sure that if Malak had not betrayed Darth Revan she would not have survived her encounter with the Dark Lord. That was why during the quest for the Star Forge Bastila had worked hard at improving her abilities with the lightsaber. Revan in particular proved to be an effective instructor. While she was still nowhere nearly as skilled as Revan she felt confident that she could hold her own against anyone.  
  
Bastila let herself slip deeply into the Force as she traded blows with her Sith assailant. She quickly discovered that her opponent was more than her equal as he parried strike after strike. She began to worry that she was out of her depth in the fight, but she pushed aside such concerns. She was one with the Force, how could she fail?  
  
The Jedi and Sith continued to fight as they danced across the length of the causeway. . Bastila felt herself growing more and more frustrated as the fight continued. The Sith showed no signs of tiring despite all that Bastila threw at him.  
  
Finally Bastila saw an opening in the Sith's defenses and she seized on the opportunity. "You fought well," she informed the Sith as she delivered the killing blow. To her amazement the Sith was able to recover from his vulnerable position and managed to get his lightsaber around in time to block Bastila's strike.  
  
By this time Bastila's frustration was growing into fear. The longer the fight continued the greater the chance she would slip up and make a fatal mistake. Already she could feel her muscles begin to tire. If the fight did not end soon she doubted that she would be the one walking away from it.  
  
The Sith pressed his attack, forcing Bastila to take an increasingly defensive postures. "It's not fair," she thought. "I'm the one who's at peace with the Force." As she was driven back Bastila could feel the anger bubbling insider her, begging to be released. She knew that all she had to do was tap into that anger and she could win the dual handily.  
  
Bastila felt her defenses weaken. She realized that the only way she could win the fight was by giving into her anger. She knew that way lead to the Dark Side, but what other choice did she have? She could not let the Sith win, the stakes were too high.  
  
It was then that the Jedi Code flashed through her mind and Bastila knew what she had to do. "There is no death," she said to herself as she turned off her saber. There was no way she could with the physical battle without falling to the Dark Side. If the Sith cut her down she would live on through the Force. If she bested the Sith, yet fell to the Dark Side she would bring untold misery to the galaxy. Faced with those alternatives the decision was easy. "Forgive me Revan, I was not strong enough," she said as the Sith raised his saber to deliver the coup de grace.  
  
Bastila closed her eyes, expecting to next feel the searing pain of a lightsaber. Except nothing happened. Bastila stood there for what felt like an eternity before she gathered herself enough to open her eyes. When she did the Sith was gone. In its place was her.  
  
"What...who are you?" Bastila asked her double.  
  
"I'm you," the doppelganger replied. There was more warmth to her voice than Bastila ever had.  
  
"But what happened to the Sith?"  
  
"That was you as well."  
  
"Then all this was what? A hallucination, a vision?"  
  
"It is whatever you think it is," the double replied with a shrug.  
  
"That's hardly an answer," Bastila complained.  
  
"Yes well I'm just a Force-created manifestation of you psyche, I don't have all the answers," the double snapped.  
  
"Alright, then I you're me why were you also the Sith?"  
  
The Force spirit sighed, "It wasn't me and it wasn't really a Sith either. It was a representation of your inner Dark Side, for lack of a better phrase."  
  
"And let me guess, if I had beaten it I would have seen my face under the Sith mask as some sort of cautionary device?"  
  
"If you'd beaten her you would have fallen to the Dark Side and destroyed the galaxy. You won the only way you could have, by loosing."  
  
"I don't think I'm following you," Bastila admitted.  
  
"The Dark Side doesn't want to destroy you, it wants to own you," the double explained. "It wanted you to tap into your anger to defeat it."  
  
"So if I had beaten it I would have lost because I would have fallen to the Dark Side," Bastila said as comprehension dawned within her.  
  
"Exactly, the Dark Side doesn't care about its followers so long as it gets more powerful ones."  
  
"So what was that I fought?"  
  
"Like I said, remnants of the Dark Side that existed in you. Remember when you fell to the Dark Side there was still a flicker of the light still in you?" Bastila nodded. "This was the same, only reversed."  
  
"I see, the Dark Side was trying to reclaim me."  
  
"Basically yes. Now Bastila listen, this is important. There is a storm coming and Revan is going to be tested like he never has been and you have to be with him to ensure he makes the right decision. Also, just because you passed this test doesn't mean you're now immune to the pull of the Dark Side."  
  
Bastila shook her head, "Don't worry, I'll never make that mistake again."  
  
Bastila's double smiled, "Good, that means you've finally learned something useful. Now go, and may the Force be with you." The spirit embraced Bastila and to the Jedi's amazement was absorbed into her.  
  
Just then the droids came bursting onto the roof. HK was carrying T3, in their haste the two droids obviously decided that was the fastest way to get the small droid onto the roof.  
  
"Query: Are you alright miss? T3 detected lightsaber activity. Is there anything that requires blasting?"  
  
"I'm fine HK, the Force was testing me."  
  
"Observations: Based on my experiences the Force is nothing to be trifled with, nor are its tests to be taken lightly."  
  
Bastila laughed, "You speak with much wisdom HK. Come, we must return to Coruscant so I can meditate on what happened here." Bastila paused and looked out over the causeway.   
  
A shiver ran through her. It had been closer, very close, the temptation to tap into the Dark Side to secure the victory had been strong. That she managed to resist it at all was remarkable even to her.  
  
However that was not what troubled Bastila. The vision the Force gave her had warned of a danger greater than any she had ever known, "What could be more perilous than Malak and the Star Force?" Bastila wondered to herself before turning and following the droids down the stairs.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
Author's Notes: So much for this chapter, that's nine down eleven to go. Thanks to everyone who keeps reading. Here's a little tip for all the writer's out there; when you're writing, write drafts. Each chapter I write has a minimum of two drafts before you see it posted, most have three. That might seem like a lot, but it is quite useful. If I'm stuck on a spot I can just blast through it because I know I can tweak the passage in the next draft, and of course it helps in spotting typos and other bits of weirdness. There's an old adage in wood working, measure twice, cut once. Apply that standard to your writing -- write twice, post once -- and the quality of your output will improve. See you in two weeks for Chapter 10.  



	10. Chapter 10

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Ten  
  
Bastila exited the transport after setting down on a landing pad inside the Jedi Temple grounds. She saw Master Yoda standing on the edge of the pad, waiting for her. "Master Yoda," Bastila said with a bow.  
  
"Greetings Jedi Knight Shan, find what you seek did you?"  
  
It was at that moment that Bastila realized that Yoda knew where she had been and what happened to her. She did not know how he knew, or how she knew he knew, but she felt it with such certainty that she knew it must be the case. "I found something," Bastila allowed. "But I am not sure what it was."  
  
"Meditate on it you should. Clarity will arrive. Tell you this though, the right decision you did make." With that Yoda stumped off leaving Bastila to ponder what he said.  
  
"Nice place," Revan noted as he and Obi-Wan walked through the ornate streets of Theed.  
  
"Yes, Naboo is certainly a restful planet," Obi-Wan agreed. "Have you ever been here?"  
  
Revan shook his head, "No this is my first time, but I'll definitely have to come back when things aren't so stressful." What Revan left unsaid was that he was considering retreating to the wilds of Naboo permanently once the current crises was resolved. He figured that he and Bastila had done their part for the Galaxy and that they deserved a chance to live in peace.  
  
"That is one of the drawbacks to being a Jedi, there's no time for a vacation." Obi-Wan noted.  
  
"You always have to find the time to get away from things," Revan said. "Otherwise you'll burn out."  
  
"You speak with much wisdom Aarn, but there always seems to be one crises or another that crops up."  
  
Revan laughed, "That does seem to be the case more often then not, but sometimes you just have to tell the Galaxy to get bent. You won't be much use to anyone if you wear yourself out.''  
  
"I will keep that in mind the next time Master Yoda has an assignment for me," Obi-Wan said lightly.  
  
They walked into the palace and were quickly escorted to the queen's chambers. "Ah Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, what brings Naboo's favorite Jedi Knight back to us?" the Queen asked.  
  
Obi-Wan bowed, "Bad tidings I'm afraid your highness. I am tasked by the Jedi Council to track down the Sith threat that infests the Republic."  
  
"And why does that charge bring you to Naboo?" One of the queen's advisors asked.  
  
"We have reason to believe the Sith threat originated here on Naboo," Obi-Wan explained cautiously.  
  
"The Sith here? Preposterous," the advisor spluttered.  
  
"Preposterous or not the Sith were involved with the Trade Federation's attack on Naboo. There must be some connection between the two."  
  
"What is it you seek?" Amidala asked.  
  
"Access to your archives," Obi-Wan replied. "Perhaps an ancient Sith came to Naboo at some point and left some dark taint behind. We won't know for sure until we look," he added.  
  
"Very well, how can we refuse a request from our Jedi savior?" Amidala asked rhetorically. "Feel free to investigate our archives and anywhere else you deem necessary."  
  
Obi-Wan bowed again, "Thank-you your majesty."  
  
"Awfully young to be a queen," Revan noted as they walked out of the throne room.   
  
"That's how Naboo likes their queens," Obi-Wan replied, "But Amidala is young even by those standards. Which is not to say she's unfit for her post. The way she handled the Trade Federation crises was quite remarkable."  
  
Revan nodded, but there was something about Obi-Wan's description of the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo that struck him as off. Revan could not quite put a finger on what it was, but he made a mental note to look into the event more closely.  
  
A messenger wearing the uniform of a Naboo soldier came running up to Obi-Wan. "Master Jedi," the messenger gasped. "There is a message for you from the Jedi Council," he handed Obi-Wan a data pad.  
  
"Have you read the message?" Obi-Wan asked as he took the data pad  
  
"No sir, Master Windu was very clear that it was for your eyes only."  
  
"I thank-you for your discretion," Obi-Wan told the messenger. He waited until the soldier left before looking at the data pad. "It would seem that Alton Behl is dead. The Jedis sent to bring him to Coruscant found his body. Cause of death was a lightsaber." Obi-Wan threw the data pad away in frustration. "I knew we should have done more to protect him."  
  
"Behl was a used resource," Revan replied. "He wasn't going to tell us anything more about the Sith even if he knew it. His death is unfortunate, but doesn't affect the mission."  
  
"How can you be so collected about this? We caused Behl's death!"  
  
"No, Behl was killed by the Sith that shoved a lightsaber into him. We're here to find the Sith, and we must be doing a good job if one of them killed Behl. They're getting nervous, and that makes you sloppy. We should go over the orbital traffic around Correllia around the time of Behl's death. The Sith's ship might show up."  
  
"So you're saying you wanted this to happen?"  
  
"Not precisely, but this was not unexpected, and I like to be prepared for all eventualities. If the Jedis the Council sent had arrived earlier we might have caught the Sith in the act, and that would have been worth the risk to Behl's life."  
  
Obi-Wan could see the logic behind Revan's argument, but he found it to be very cold-blooded. "We can't do much about it from here. The Council will investigate Behl's death, we are to continue with our work."   
  
As they walked through the palace towards the archives Obi-Wan felt a tugging from the Force in the direction of where Master Qui-Gon fell. "If you'll excuse me for a moment Aarn, there's something I need to do."  
  
Revan stared at Obi-Wan for a moment, "This is where your master died wasn't it?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded, "In one of the sub-basements actually. This is the first time I've been to Theed since then."  
  
"I know it's asking a lot, but could I accompany you? I'd like to pay my respects as well."  
  
Obi-Wan considered Revan's request carefully before replying. In the end he could see no reason not to allow Revan to join him. "Certainly, your company would be most welcome."  
  
As they walked through the palace's labyrinthine sub-basements Obi-Wan found himself replaying the fight in his mind's eye. Obi-Wan still knew nothing about the Sith that attacked him. The body had never been recovered and all they learned from extensive interrogations of the Neimoidians was a name, Darth Maul. As much as anything it was the lack of information that bothered Obi-Wan. How could anyone as strong in the Force as Maul had been slip past the Jedi? Obi-Wan could understand fallen Jedi succumbing to the Dark Side, but the fact that the Sith were obviously able to find potential Force users before the Jedi troubled him greatly.  
  
They arrived at the chamber where the final confrontation took place. Obi-Wan remembered feeling so helpless as he watched Maul cut down his master. He remembered the rage that filled him when he finally attacked Maul, and most importantly he remembered the satisfaction he felt when he cut the Sith in two.  
  
There was no monument or marker to commemorate what happened in the room, but Obi-Wan didn't need any markers to remind him where Master Qui-Gon fell. Obi-Wan walked straight to the spot and knelt down. Revan hung back to let Obi-Wan pay his respects.  
  
"Hello Master, it's Obi-Wan," he said to the air. "I've been training Anakin, just like you asked. He's every bit as powerful as you said he would be." Obi-Wan sighed, "But there's so much darkness in him Master. I'm doing my best to train him, but there are times when I'm not sure it's enough." Obi-Wan paused again. "I guess what I'm trying to say Master is that I wish you were here." Obi-Wan chuckled, "Though I'm sure if you were here you'd tell me that everything happens for a reason and that I should trust that the Force wanted me to train Anakin." Obi-Wan felt comforted by the one-sided conversation. It was as if Qui-Gon was standing there listening to him.   
  
Revan reached out and put a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, "Are you going to be alright?" He asked.  
  
Obi-Wan turned his head to look behind him. However, instead of seeing Aarn Delwynn he saw a man dressed in black robes with a mask covered in Sith designs standing there.  
  
"Obi-Wan," Revan said, "What's the matter?"  
  
Obi-Wan could not believe it when the Sith spoke with Revan's voice. He realized that the Force was telling him that Aarn Delwynn was in fact a Sith. "Stay away from me," Obi-Wan hissed as he jerked out of Revan's grasp.  
  
"What's gotten into you?" Revan asked.  
  
"I don't know how you managed to fool the Council, but I know the truth about you," Obi-Wan declared. He activated his lightsaber.  
  
Revan stepped behind the vent shutters to buy himself more time. "Listen Obi-Wan, I'm not you enemy." When the shutters opened again Revan continued to back through them.  
  
"Liar, I saw your true form just now. You're Sith!" Obi-Wan accused Revan as he followed him.  
  
Revan sighed, "I'm not Sith Obi-Wan, you have to believe me." He briefly considered telling Obi-Wan the truth. Revan discarded the idea based on how preposterous it would sound. Obi-Wan wasn't in a mood to listen to even rational explanations, let alone one as bizarre as the truth.  
  
"Why should I believe you? You've never been upfront with me for as long as I've known you."  
  
"That's true, but I do not follow the Dark Side," Revan once again cursed the Council for putting him in this position. If he'd been truthful with Obi-Wan in the first place this never would have happened. "Or maybe it would have," Revan thought to himself. "The Dark Side is at work here, it's clouding Obi-Wan's judgment."  
  
"I won't let you continue to poison the Republic!" Obi-Wan declared as he charged Revan.  
  
Revan leapt out of Obi-Wan's path. "I don't want to fight you," he told Obi-Wan.  
  
"It's not a matter of what you want. You tried to bring down the Republic. You must answer for your crimes." Obi-Wan said as he lunged at Revan, his lightsaber blazing.  
  
Revan waited until the last possible moment before raising his lightsaber to block Obi-Wan's attack. "Obi-Wan, listen to me," Revan ordered as he fended off a flurry of attacks from Obi-Wan. "There was a tremendous Dark Side presence in that room. It's obvious latched on to you and is making you act like this."  
  
"I'm not under any influence," Obi-Wan shot back.  
  
Revan sighed, "Fine have it your way. I guess the only thing to do is beat some sense into you." Revan answered Obi-Wan's charge with a series of attacks of his own.  
  
The two Jedi dueled across the entire length of the basement level. Several times Revan saw an opportunity to end the fight, but he did not want to harm Obi-Wan so he pressed on until he could disable the possessed Jedi Knight without maiming him.   
  
''I will tell you the truth Obi-Wan, just put down the lightsaber and listen to me," Revan said as he leapt onto a different level of the maintenance room.  
  
"And give you the opportunity to stab me in the back? I don't think so," Obi-Wan grimly replied as he followed Revan onto the ledge.  
  
"Fine, if you're so sure I'm a Sith I guess there's only one thing I can do that will convince you otherwise." Revan closed down his lightsaber and held his arms out away from his body. "Go ahead, I won't defend myself, strike me down." Obi-Wan held his lightsaber at the ready, but did not strike. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" Revan taunted, "I'm a Sith right? Then strike me down, it's what you want isn't it?"  
  
Obi-Wan steeled himself and began to swing his lightsaber at Revan. "Obi-Wan, stop!" A commanding voice thundered out as a figure wreathed in blue light appeared between the two Jedi.  
  
"Master Qui-Gon!" Obi-Wan said in amazement. He immediately shut down his lightsaber and bowed his head.  
  
"Obi-Wan, why are you doing this?" The ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn demanded.  
  
"Master, he is a Sith," Obi-Wan replied.  
  
"No he is not," Qui-Gon retorted. "Surely you can tell that."  
  
"But the vision..." Obi-Wan protested. "It was so clear."  
  
"Not all visions are the work of the Light Side Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon chided his former pupil. "Which isn't to say your companion doesn't have some explaining to do." Qui-Gon turned and faced Revan. "Just why haven't you told him?"  
  
"The Council advised me not to," Revan explained, he felt like he had just been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.  
  
"The Council," Qui-Gon said with a snort of derision. "You of all people should know that the Council is prone to mistakes just like everyone else. Do you want to tell him or should I?"  
  
Revan shook his head, "No, it should come from me. Obi-Wan, that vision you saw, it was me...just not me anymore." Revan took a deep breath. "Once, I was Sith, very long ago, but I was redeemed."  
  
"Impossible, I would know if a Jedi fell to the Sith, and I would especially know if a Sith turned back to the light."  
  
"You do know, my name is not Aarn Delwynn...it's Revan."  
  
"Revan?" Obi-Wan scoffed, "Revan lived four thousand years ago, you can't possibly be Revan."  
  
"But I am. Tell me, what was Revan's end?"  
  
Obi-Wan shrugged, "No one knows, he and Bastila disappeared..." Obi-Wan's voice trailed off. "And this is why, you somehow wound up in this time."  
  
Revan nodded, "We aren't sure how, but it seems there was a hyperspace anomaly when we were returning to Coruscant."  
  
"So that means Master Kyja...."  
  
"Is Bastila Shan, yes," Revan confirmed.  
  
"This is a preposterous story you're telling me. The great legends of Jedi history suddenly come to life. Next you'll tell me that Nomi Sunrider is with you."  
  
"It is the truth Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "The Force sent them to this time."  
  
"To what purpose though?" Obi-Wan asked, voicing the question that plagued Revan.  
  
"That is not for me to say, but it is important that you understand that Revan is not your enemy, and that you should trust him."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded, "How can I refuse the word of my master?"  
  
"I'd rather you came to the right conclusion on your own rather than blindly trusting a vision created by the Force," Qui-Gon admonished. "Search yourself Obi-Wan and you will see this is true."  
  
Obi-Wan stared at Revan and arched an eyebrow, "You weren't kidding when you said you'd been away from the Core Worlds for a long time."  
  
Revan held up his hands defensively, "It was the truth...from a certain point of view."  
  
"It seems too fantastic to believe, and yet I cannot shake the feeling that you are telling the truth."  
  
"That's because I am," Revan insisted.  
  
"But why didn't you tell me sooner?"  
  
"That was the Council's doing. They didn't think it was important for you to know my real identity, and I must admit it was nice to pretend I wasn't Revan, the Scourge of the Galaxy. However, I'm not Aarn Delwynn, I'm Revan, and there's no getting around it, I have to accept that, and so do you."  
  
"It certainly does explain a lot of things," Obi-Wan mused. He stared at Revan for a long time before finally reaching his decision. "Hello Revan, I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, a pleasure to meet you," Obi-Wan held out his hand to Revan.  
  
Revan shook Obi-Wan's outstretched hand, "The pleasure is all mine."  
  
Obi-Wan turned and faced the specter of his former master, "Thank-you Master Qui-Gon, if you had not stopped me..."  
  
"Revan would have most likely knocked some sense into you," Qui-Gon said. "But you two don't have time for that."  
  
"The Sith?" Revan asked.  
  
"Can you tell us anything about where to find the Sith Master?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"Even if I knew I am not allowed, there are rules you know Padawan. I can tell you this, you are on the right track by going to Naboo, but the answers you seek are not here. Good luck Obi-Wan, the fate of the galaxy rests on your actions here. And Obi-wan, do not worry about if you're training Anakin properly. Just do your best and that will be enough."  
  
Obi-Wan bowed his head, "Thank-you master."  
  
"May the Force be with you Obi-Wan, we will not see each other again for a very long time."  
  
"I understand Master, may the Force be with you."  
  
The ghost of Qui-Gon looked at Revan, "Take care of my Padawan, the galaxy needs him."  
  
Revan nodded, "I'll do my best Master Jinn. It was an honor to meet you." Revan sensed a kindred spirit in Qui-Gon. At the very least they held similar opinions about the Jedi Council.  
  
"No, the honor was all mine. Not many people can say they met the legendary Revan. Remember what you have learned and you will navigate the storm that is approaching. Farewell." Qui-Gon vanished before either of the Jedi had a chance to reply.  
  
"Well, now you know," Revan said.  
  
"Yes I do, now how are we going to find the Sith?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"Your master said we were on the right track, and we know that the Sith are linked to the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo, why don't we see what we can shake loose from them?"  
  
"All the Trade Federation leaders were vigorously interrogated by the Jedi Council following their defeat at Naboo, I'm sure they told us everything they knew."  
  
"But I haven't talked to them," Revan said, his voice ominous. "Where can we find the Trade Federation?"  
  
"The last I heard their fleet was mustering around Sullust," Obi-Wan replied. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"  
  
" Don't worry, I won't do anything Dark Side to them. And if you have a better one I'd like to hear it."   
  
"Well, no," Obi-Wan sighed, "To Sullust it is then."  
  
-to be continued-  
  
Author's Notes: Halfway home. Thanks to all the readers and reviewers. Chapter Eleven should be done in two weeks, but I'm not hopeful; I'm going to be travelling a lot and I don't know how much time there will be to do any writing. 


	11. Chapter 11

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Eleven  
  
"Master Kenobi, wait a moment!" Queen Amidala called out as Revan and Obi-Wan walked out of the palace.  
  
"Yes Queen Amidala?" Obi-Wan asked as he came to a stop.  
  
"I have a question for you that I did not feel was appropriate to ask in front of the court. I was wondering, where is Ani...Anakin Skywalker that is. I was under the impression that he was your Padawan."  
  
"That is correct, however, this mission is too dangerous for a Padawan. It requires the talents of two full fledged Jedi like myself and..." Obi-Wan paused before continuing, "Master Delwynn." Revan wondered how the queen would have reacted if Obi-Wan had decided to use Revan's real name.  
  
"Of course...is he doing well then?"  
  
"Oh yes, Anakin is the strongest Padawan his age, with limitless potential," Obi-Wan said. He noticed a flicker of pride cross Padme's face. :If I may ask, why are you so interested in younger Skywalker?" Obi-Wan countered.  
  
"It's nothing really," Padme said quickly. "Just simple curiosity. I was there when Master Qui-Gon found him on Tatooine. Not to mention the huge debt I and the rest of the people of Naboo owe him. It's only natural that I would want to know how his training is progressing."  
  
Revan felt the queen was rationalizing a bit too much, but whatever her feelings for Kenobi's Padawan were they were none of his concern. "Forgive us your majesty, but we're on a tight schedule," Revan said brusquely.  
  
"Yes of course, forgive me for wasting your valuable time. Thank-you Master Kenobi."  
  
"You're most welcome Queen Amidala, it was no trouble at all," Obi-Wan said before he and Revan walked towards the space port. Obi-Wan turned his head as they walked down the street and saw that Amidala remained standing on the top steps of the palace, obviously lost in thought.  
  
"Have you made any headway yet T3?" Bastila asked the small droid. T3 chirped that he had not, nor that he had when she last asked five minutes earlier. "Well keep looking," Bastila retorted. Upon her return to Coruscant Bastila decided to eschew meditation and instead focus on finding out everything she could about Alton Behl, the Sith agent Revan discovered on Correllia.   
  
"Query: The Jedi Council is already investigating the meat bag known as Alton Behl. What do you hope to accomplish by duplicating their efforts?"  
  
"I just need to so something to help Revan HK," Bastila explained. "I can't just sit around and meditate, not while he's out there."  
  
"Observation: It looks to me like T3 is doing all the works and you're just sitting around," HK noted sardonically.  
  
"Don't worry HK, as soon as T3 finds anything we can go investigate it," Bastila told the droid, ignoring the obvious barb.  
  
"Statement: I hope there will be something to blast. I grow weary of all this sitting around."  
  
"As much as I don't like to say it so am I," Bastila admitted. "But until we have something to go on we have to wait." She sighed, "When you start commiserating with a psychotic assassin droid something is wrong with you," she told herself.   
  
Bastila was reaching for her lightsaber with the intention of finding and empty training room to spar in when T3 began chirping. "What is it?" She asked.  
  
"Statement: It appears T3 has found new information on Alton Behl," HK said. "According to Behl's financial records he invested a sizeable number of credits in a building complex here o Coruscant. Further cross-checking of Behl's travel records show frequent trips to Coruscant."  
  
"That sounds like a lead to me," Bastila decided. "Care to go investigate HK?"  
  
"Agreement: I thought you'd never ask."  
  
The building in question was located deep in the underbelly of Coruscant, about as far away from the grandeur of the Jedi Temple as could be imagined. Bastila observed the unassuming gray structure from an alleyway across the street. She and HK had stood there for over an hour, gathering as much information as they could about the exterior of the one story building.  
  
"Statement: My sensors still do not register any organic presence inside the structure," HK announced.  
  
"So you think the building is abandoned?" Bastila asked.  
  
"Statement: That is a possibility, or the walls are constructed of a material my sensors cannot penetrate. From this vantage point I cannot tell."  
  
Bastila sighed and drummed her fingers on the hilt of the single-bladed lightsaber she had taken from the armor onboard the Ebon Hawk; a double-bladed lightsaber would be far too conspicuous. "Very well, we have waited long enough. Let's go inside."  
  
The Jedi and the droid slipped across the street and walked up to the building. They stayed concealed in the half-light that permeated the lower section of the great city. They approached a side door that HK had selected earlier and Bastila withdrew a security spike from her belt. The spike overrode the door's lock and they entered the building.   
  
The interior of the complex was almost as dark as the street they walked off of. Bastial could see no signs of life in the sterile corridor, but she knew this was the right place. She could feel the faint trace of the Dark Side in the air.  
  
Bastila cautiously stretched out her senses in an attempt to see if any Force users were in the area. She could not sense any, but that did no comfort her because she could not sense any life of any kind. "Let us be quick about this," she told HK. "I do not care for the feel of this place."  
  
"Statement: It was your idea to come here."  
  
"I know that, and this has to be done, but that does not mean we need to dawdle."  
  
They followed the hall they were in until they came to a computer terminal. "Ok HK, plug in."  
  
"Statement: I would once again like to raise my objections to this plan. I'm an assassin, not a utility droid."  
  
"You're not much of an assassin if you can't slice into a computer system. Now get cracking."  
  
HK growled and a computer interface tool shot out of his wrist. The droid walked up to the terminal and jacked into an interface port. "Analysis: This terminal lacks the appropriate security clearance to provide us the information we seek. Hypothesis: Tapping directly into the central computer core should provide us with the necessary clearance."  
  
"How do we get there?" Bastila asked.  
  
"Statement: I was able to download a copy of the floor plan for this facility into my memory. The computer core is this way."  
  
As Bastila followed HK through the building she wondered how the Sith could have established a presence on Coruscant under the very nose of the Jedi Council. It was obvious that they had infiltrated deep into the structure Republic in order to do so and it trouble her deeply to see the Republic she worked so hard to save beginning to crumble from forces inside it.  
  
"HK are you detecting any life forms or droid energy signals?" Bastila asked.  
  
HK swiveled his head back and forth, giving his scanning package plenty of time to function. "Negative: No ma'am. The walls are constructed out of a sensor-resistant material. It is impossible for me to get a reliable reading."  
  
Bastila sighed, "Very well, let's just proceed cautiously."  
  
The deeper into the building they moved the more apprehensive Bastila felt. The fact that they had yet to encounter anyone only heightened that feeling of apprehension. She tightened her grip on her lightsaber as she peered around a corner and looked down the hall. "HK doesn't it bother you that no one seems to be here?"  
  
"Statement: Not particularly. This building might not be used as a residence for organics, but as a storage facility."  
  
"but in that case wouldn't there be guards or something?"  
  
"HK turned his head and stared at Bastila. "Query: Are you actually complaining that no one is trying to terminate you? Because if you are I have to agree, there's been a distinct lack of violence at the moment."  
  
"I'm not complaining, just worrying," Bastila said as clarification.  
  
"Observation: You worry too much."  
  
"I don't want to be caught unaware is all," Bastila protested. "If we're right then this is the nerve center for Sith operations. Can you think of a more dangerous place to be?"  
  
"Statement: The Sith Academy on Korriban, the Leviathan, the Shadowlands, the Star Forge..."  
  
Bastila held up a hand, "Alright HK enough you've made your point. Can we get to the computer core without any additional editorializing, please?"  
  
They walked the rest of the way to the computer core in silence; coming to a stop in front of a small, unmarked door. HK overrode the door's security measures while Bastila held her lightsaber at the ready. The door opened and Bastila sighed in relief when they were not met by a squad of troopers of Dark Jedi. The room itself was lit only by the glow of the computer monitors that lined the walls.  
  
"Ok HK, find out whatever you can," Bastila instructed the droid.  
  
"Statement: Thank-you for providing me with such valuable direction. I never would have known what to do on my own."  
  
"Sarcasm in a droid is terribly unbecoming," Bastila muttered under her breath as she watched HK slice the computer system. She leaned against a wall and let herself relax for a moment.  
  
"Cautionary: Uh-oh."  
  
Bastila's focus instantly snapped back into the present. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Statement: I seem to have tripped a silent alarm in my attempts to infiltrate this computer network. Recommendation: We should leave before security forces arrive." HK detached himself from the terminal.  
  
The door to the room opened and a squad of humanoid war droids entered the room. Each one held a menacing-looking blaster rifle.  
  
"You are under arrest for unauthorized access," the lead droid said in a metallic voice. "You will place yourself in our custody for questioning. Failure to comply will result in termination."  
  
"I am Jedi Master Brin Kyja," Bastila said in an attempt to bluff their way out. "This facility is linked to a known Sith Agent. We were executing a lawful search of the premises."  
  
"Target has identified itself as a Jedi. Initializing Jedi protocols. Target has ten seconds to comply with the previous request or target will be terminated."  
  
"Statement: While I don't enjoy blasting droids as much as organics I will take pleasure in sending you to the scrap heap," HK said as he raised his blaster rifle and shot the head off the lead droid.  
  
Bastila activated her lightsaber as the surviving droids opened fire. "HK, I'll provide cover, you dispatch the droids." Her lightsaber was a blur as she deflected a volley of blaster bolts from the security droids.  
  
"Acknowledgement!" HK said as he went into combat mode. With Bastila taking care of the enemy droids' attacks HK was able to pick droids off at his leisure.  
  
"I think we've overstayed our welcome," Bastila said when the last of the droids was destroyed. "Is the way we entered still available to us?"  
  
"Statement: At the time the alarm went off it was. And even if there is a lockdown in effect it is the closest exit to our current position."  
  
Bastila nodded, "Then we'd better get moving."  
  
They ran out into the hall and were met by an even larger contingent of security droids. This time they did not offer Bastila and HK a chance to surrender and opened fire immediately.  
  
Bastila dove for the floor. She felt the air above her sizzle with blaster fire. She extended her hand and released a wave of Force energy that scattered the droids like matchsticks.  
  
Bastila picked herself up off the ground. "Are you ok HK?"  
  
"Statement: Nothing my internal systems cannot repair."  
  
They continued to make their way towards the exit. Around each corner they faced an increasing number of droid opponents. They did not pose a significant challenge to a pair of fighters as skilled as Bastila and HK, but it was enough to slow them down considerably.  
  
"How many of these things are there?" Bastila complained as she decapitated a more massive variant they'd been fighting.  
  
"Statement: The benefit of droids over organics is that you do not need elaborate living spaces to house them. A complex this size could easily hold thousands of droids."  
  
"Thank-you for that comforting thought," Bastila told the assassin droid. To that point they had been lucky, neither of them were seriously injured. However BastilaFro was concerned that they might be overcome by the sheer number of droids coming at them.  
  
"How close are we to the exit?" She asked.  
  
"Statement: Just a few hundred meters beyond this intersection."  
  
"So expect them to throw everything they have at us there," Bastila theorized.  
  
"Agreement: That would be logical."  
  
From where they stood the intersection looked clear. They could also heard the advancing tromp of droids coming from behind them. "Why do I get the feeling we're being herded?" Bastila thought to herself.  
  
When they got closer to the intersection a pair of spherical droids rolled into the junction. The droids unfolded into squat, insectile forms, each armed with a pair of heavy, repeating blasters. A shimmering around the droids revealed that they were protected by an energy shield. The droids locked onto to Bastila and opened fire.  
  
Bastila was barely able to bring her lightsaber up in time to block these new droids' attack. She was staggered by the force of the blasters against her lightsaber. They reminded Bastila of the war droids she encountered in the Sith Embassy on Manaan and the detached part of her brain wondered if these droids were a refined version of that design.  
  
Bastila let herself slip deeply into the Force and she released a bolt of Force energy at the droids in an attempt to disable them. The blast was not successful in disabling the droids, but it did overload their shielding, leaving them open to attack.  
  
Bastila seized on the opportunity and she called on the Force to enhance her speed. She dashed in between the stubby droids and sliced them apart before they could restore their shielding.  
  
The sound of someone clapping caused Bastila to turn around. She saw a tall figure dressed in an elegant black jumpsuit walking towards her. A black cloak draped his almost gaunt frame and his face was covered by a Sith mask. Bastila knew that this was no vision; she could feel the Dark Side radiating from him.  
  
"Most impressive," the man said in a deep rolling voice that was electronically altered by his mask. "You displayed tremendous power and resourcefulness against those droidekas, for a Jedi anyway, but I wonder how well you will fair against me."  
  
"I do not fear the Dark Side!" Bastila declared. Out of the corner of her eye she saw HK raise his blaster rifle and aim it at the Sith.  
  
"You might not fear the Dark Side, but you will fear me," the Sith said. He raised his hand and fired blue bolts of Force Lightning at HK. The droid fell to the ground, his joints smoking. "I'm afraid I broke your toy. A remarkable piece of craftsmanship, but in the end just a fragile droid."  
  
Bastila fought down her concern for HK, she knew he had backup systems for his backup systems. "To be perfectly honest I never cared much for that droid," she said both defiantly and truthfully.  
  
"Such a tremendous spirit, it is a shame I have to destroy you."  
  
Bastila tightened her grip on her lightsaber, "Many have tried, but none have succeeded."  
  
"Bold words from a Jedi, but can you back them up?" The Sith threw open his cloak and drew an ornate lightsaber with an unusual curved hilt.  
  
"Turn back from the Dark Side," Bastila counseled, "it only leads to ruin."  
  
"Petty Jedi platitudes won't save you," the Sith informed Bastila. He held up his lightsaber in salute before lunging at Bastila.  
  
Bastila parried his attack with ease. Her mind flashed back to her vision on Rakata and she hoped that this time she could win both the physical and metaphysical battle.  
  
Bastila fended off another attack by her opponent. He was good and used a style of attack that was considered archaic even in Bastila's time. She wondered about the s ort of person it would take to master such and outmoded style of lightsaber fighting. She decided that it was a way to give him an advantage when fighting a Jedi used to dealing with a more traditional opponent. However Bastila was hardly an ordinary Jedi. She refused to fall for the Sith's feints and countered each of his attacks.  
  
"You have some skill with the lightsaber," the Sith allowed as they circled each other. Neither the Jedi or the Sith allowed themselves to show the amount of energy they had already expended in the fight. "If the situation was different I might be inclined to take you on as my apprentice. Together we could overthrow my master and rule the galaxy."  
  
"If only you knew the whole of it," Bastila thought to herself. "Power is not a coin that can be cared," she told the Sith. "What you offer is nothing more than the promise of a slow, violent death."  
  
"Your alternative is a quick, painful death," the Sith retorted as he reached out and slapped at Bastila's lightsaber with his own.  
  
"So long as I follow the light death is merely a transition to a new state," Bastila replied. "It is nothing to be feared."  
  
"Let us find out how eager you are to find out if that's true," the Sith said as he renewed his attack.  
  
This time the Sith eschewed the subtlety of his earlier attacks for greater power. Bastila continued to ward his advances off, but she had to focus more fully on his attack at the cost of her awareness of her surroundings. She was so absorbed with blocking the Sith's flurry of strikes that she did not sense him lifting the remains of a droideka with the Force and hurling it at her. The ruined droid connected with the back of Bastila's head, knocking her out.  
  
Darth Tyranus removed his mask and stared down at the unconscious Jedi. He despised wearing the mask, but his master's orders were quite specific, no Jedi could see his face, not yet. He wondered who this young Jedi was, only the most powerful in the order were capable of fighting him to a standstill the way this girl had.  
  
"Quickly, take her away," he ordered the droids who entered the intersection. "Lord Sidious wishes for this Jedi to be questioned."  
  
"What about the droid?" The droid commander asked.  
  
"Scrap it," Tyranus instructed as he watched two droids place Bastila on a stretcher and carry her out of the building. The Sith Lord followed the stretcher. He was eager to learn more about this strange Jedi; perhaps she held some secret that would allow him to turn the tables on his master. It was the Sith Way after all.  
  
HK-47's systems returned to functionality just as a pair of droids started to drag him away. "Query: what are you two worthless buckets of bolts doing?"  
  
"Taking you to be scrapped," One of the droids said, too surprised by HK's question to say anything but the truth.  
  
"Negative: No you will not." HK reached out and smash the head's of both droids. "Statement: That was most enjoyable."  
  
HK stood up and surveyed the intersection. He could find no sign of Bastila beyond her lightsaber lying on the floor, which HK picked up. The droid reasoned that the Sith must have captured Bastila. He also determined that the best course of action was to let Master Revan know what had happened. HK knew that Revan would stop at nothing to rescue Bastila and he eagerly awaited assisting his master in accomplishing that goal. HK picked up his blaster rifle and walked out of the Sith facility.  
  
In his private meditation chamber Yoda looked up as Master Windu entered the room. "Successful were you on Kashyyyk?"  
  
"Yes, I was able to deny Captain Brecktan's men access to the Star Map. Bastila's information proved to be quite helpful. Is she in the temple? I wish to thank her."  
  
"Done something foolish Jedi Shan has. Captured by the Sith she was."  
  
"Does Revan know?"  
  
"Not officially, but know he must. Strong their bond is. React badly he will."  
  
"Perhaps we should attempt to locate Bastila ourselves then. Convince Revan that we can find her for him."  
  
Yoda raised an eyebrow, "Lost her once to the Sith already Revan has. Sit quietly while we look do you think he will?"  
  
Windu shook his head, "No, you're right he will charge in headlong without any thought about the consequences of his actions."  
  
Yoda sighed, "Too soon, too soon, not ready he is."  
  
"We can only do what the Force wills," Windu said philosophically.  
  
"Know this I do," Yoda harrumphed. "but worked too hard we have to get to this point to see it crumble."  
  
"Perhaps this is the Force's way of telling us we made the wrong decision," Windu pointed out.  
  
Yoda looked contemplative, "Perhaps. Meditate on it I will."  
  
Windu nodded, "I will see how Anakin is doing without his master around." He turned and walked out of the room leaving the ancient Jedi Master alone with his thoughts.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
Author's notes: Chapter 11 is in the books. Chapter 12 will be along presently. Thanks for reading and reviewing.  



	12. Chapter 12

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Twelve  
  
"Ah, Mr. Felx, so nice to finally meet you," Viceroy Gunray of the Trade Federation said to Revan as he walked out of the Jedi transport and into the hangar bay of the Trade Federation flagship.  
  
"The pleasure is all mine," Revan told the Niemodian. He spoke with an affected Chandrillan accent and wore a garish suit complemented by an even more garish cape.  
  
"Ok, so we are working under the assumption that the Trade Federation has information about the Sith that they did not share with the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan said as they were planning their mission en route to Sullust.  
  
"That's correct," Revan agreed. They were sitting in the main room of the transport. A hologram of a Trade Federation ship rotated slowly in front of them. "Which means we can't let them know we're Jedi."  
  
"Which means you're going to have to go alone. They know me," Obi-Wan pointed out. "However I have a plan. You don't have a problem using a false identity do you?" Obi-Wan asked innocently.  
  
"Would you like a tour of the ship Mr. Felx?" Gunray asked as they walked out of the hangar. "Or shall we attend to our business?"  
  
"Business first if you don't mind," Revan answered.  
  
"This is Darvin Felx," Obi-Wan said as he called up a hologram. "Look familiar?" Revan noted that the man bore a passing resemblance to himself. "Now it is common knowledge that Felx is a middle man. He provides a legitimate cover for a wide range of illegal trading operations for a variety of crime syndicates. What is not known is that the Jedi arrested him last week for his role in a spice ring. We have not made this information public yet because we wanted to use Felx in a sting on Jabba the Hutt."  
  
"What's his connection to the Trade Federation?" Revan asked.  
  
"None," Obi-Wan answered. "And that's the point. Felx moves a lot of money through his corporation and the Trade Federation wants a cut."  
  
"So I go in posing as Felx wanting to set up an arrangement," Revan summarized. "Got it."  
  
"Please have a seat Mr. Felx," Gunray offered as he and Revan walked into a posh office. Revan could see Sullust framed in a large window that dominated the opposite wall. "I hope your trip here was comfortable."  
  
"As comfortable as hyperspace ever is," Revan casually replied as he settled into a plush chair that sat in front of the Viceroy's desk.  
  
"Yes of course. Can I interest you in food or drink? We have a wide array of items that I am told humans find most palatable."  
  
"No thank-you I'm fine," Revan said quickly. He knew Niemodieans liked to spike the food they gave their guests with mild sedatives to give themselves an edge in negotiations. Revan squirmed in his seat. The lightsaber he carried in a sensor resistant sheath was poking him in the back.  
  
"Ah a man whose sole interest is business, I like that. So tell me, what can the Trade Federation do for you?"  
  
"I have a client interested in moving a large volume of cargo. More cargo than my personal fleet is capable of handling. Therefore I need someone to sub-contract the excess volume to."  
  
"The Trade Federation would be more than happy to accommodate you, for the right price, of course."  
  
"Naturally," Revan replied. As he and Gunray negotiated Revan reached out with the Force and gradually put the Niemodian to sleep. As soon as the Viceroy's head hit the desk Revan stood up and inserted a communicator into his ear. "Phase one complete."  
  
Obi-Wan handed Revan a compact, in-ear communicator. "Take this, it utilizes a frequency the Trade Federation cannot detect."  
  
"Nice toy," Revan noted as he pocketed the communicator.  
  
"You will have to slice into the computer on your own however. Will that be a problem?"  
  
Revan twirled a computer spike in his hand. "Not at all."  
  
Revan inserted a computer spike into the access terminal and started to slice the Trade Federation's computer network. While he worked he used the Force to keep Gunray unconscious; he didn't want the Niemodian waking up before he was finished.  
  
"Find anything yet?" Obi-Wan asked over the com.  
  
"No, their encryption is more sophisticated than I anticipated, give me a few more minutes."  
  
Before Revan could finish his work he felt a rush of pain flow through his link with Bastila. The sensations flooding Revan's mind were so strong that they forced him to his knees. Revan cried out in pain, it felt like he was falling into a bottomless pit. As Revan struggled to retain his sense of self his grip on the Viceroy slipped.  
  
"Revan, are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked over the com.  
  
Revan shook his head to clear it. He did not know the cause but he knew that Bastila was in tremendous pain. He summoned all of his will and forcibly formed a mental barrier to protect himself. He was unable to completely seal off the torrent of emotions he felt from Bastila, but he was able to push the pain to one side and focus on what to do next. "I'm fine," he told Obi-Wan. A groan from Gunray told him that the Viceroy was awake. "But I can't say the same for the mission. Prep the ship, we're going to have to leave in a hurry."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"No time to explain," Revan said as he disabled the ship's security system before Gunray could react.  
  
Gunray looked around the room in a daze, trying to figure out what happened to him. His gaze settled on Revan. "You," he started to say before Revan knocked him across the room with a blast of Force energy. "Jedi!" Gunray exclaimed as Revan leapt across the desk and out of the office.  
  
Revan already had his lightsaber drawn when a pair of security droids crossed his path. Revan cut the droids down without breaking stride. "Is the ship ready?" He asked Obi-Wan as he leapt over a cluster of droids trying to block his progress.  
  
"It is, but you'd better hurry. It won't be long before they activate their internal defenses."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm almost there," Revan told Obi-Wan. He came to a stop in front of the hangar. "Say Obi-Wan, what can you tell me about three-legged droids armed with a pair of built-in blasters, big ones at that."  
  
"Those would be droidekas, very dangerous. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Oh no reason," Revan said as he stared at a trio of the lethal droids.  
  
"Do you need any assistance?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"No, no, I can handle this," Revan replied. "You just guard the ship." Revan reached down and drew a short lightsaber from his boot. He threw the short lightsaber at the droids and used the other to block their shots. Using the Force to guide the thrown lightsaber Revan cut a hold in the deck plating directly underneath the droidekas. The droids crashed down to the deck below, allowing Revan the time to make his escape.  
  
"Get us out of here!" he shouted at Obi-Wan as he ran onboard the transport.  
  
"Gladly," Obi-Wan replied as he ignited the engines and piloted them out of the hangar bay.  
  
"Would you mind explaining to me what happened back there?" Obi-Wan demanded as soon as Revan entered the cockpit.  
  
"Coruscant," Revan said, "We have to get to Coruscant."  
  
Obi-Wan veered hard on the controls to avoid a turbolaser barrage. "But why?"  
  
Revan winced as another jolt of pain shot through the bond. "It's Bastila, she's in great pain."  
  
"How could you possibly know that," Obi-Wan asked. "Oh and would you mind manning the gun turret, we have incoming fighters."  
  
"We share a bond through the Force remember?" Revan asked sarcastically as he strapped into the gun turret.  
  
"Yes I know that," Obi-Wan said as he dodged a squadron of Trade Federation droid fighters. "But I didn't know that meant you shared emotions, especially at this distance."  
  
"They aren't normally this intense," Revan paused to blast a fighter into dust. "There must be something terribly wrong in order for me to feel it this far away." Revan left unsaid that the last time he felt such emotions from Bastila was during her torture sessions at the hands of Malak. The nights he woke up screaming from the shared pain was the only thing that drove him to find the Star Forge and defeat Malak after the events on the Leviathan. Of course then there was little else Revan could do then, the need to find the Star Map outweighed his desire to find Bastila. This time there was nothing that stood in Revan's way.  
  
"Course laid in to Coruscant," Obi-Wan announced. "Making the jump to hyperspace." Obi-Wan activated the hyperspace engines and the transport short out of normal space.  
  
Consciousness stole back slowly to Bastila. She groaned and fought her way through a haze of pain to get a handle on her surroundings. She tried to move her arms and was puzzled when she couldn't. Her puzzlement turned to anxiety when she realized she also couldn't feel her toes. With a growing sense of dread she raised her head and looked around. It took all of her willpower not to scream when she saw neatly cauterized stumps in place of her limbs.  
  
Bastila fought down the panic that welled up in her and ran through a Jedi calming technique. "This is not right," she said to herself as she closed her eyes and let her emotions fall away. When she reopened her eyes she saw the faint outlines of her arms and legs. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that what she was seeing was a trick being played on her using the Force.  
  
"You'll have to do better than that," Bastila said in a loud, clear voice. She tried to call on the Force but found it sluggish and unresponsive. Bastila redoubled her efforts and managed to dissipate the illusion. She found herself lying strapped to a metal table in the middle of a brightly lit, featureless room. She felt something around her neck and decided it must be a neural inhibitor intended to disrupt her ability to cuse on the Force.  
  
"Most impressive," the electronic voice of the Sith Lord said. The tall Dark Side user walked into view. "That illusion has broken many who considered themselves strong."  
  
"You mean you think you've been torturing me?" Bastila taunted. "An Alderaanean could do a better job." In truth the torture sessions had been long and excruciatingly painful. The Sith used a combination of the Force drugs and traditional torture techniques to try and break Bastila. However, as someone who had been tortured at the hands of Darth Malak Bastila found the sessions endurable but just barely.  
  
"Very well, you've had enough rest, shall we begin again?" Dooku asked rhetorically. He fired bolds of Force lightning at Bastila. She strained against her restraints as pain wracked her body. "Now I ask you again, what is your name?"  
  
"Brin Kyja," Bastila said through gritted teeth.  
  
"But I know that to be a lie," Dooku replied. "There is no Jedi named Brin Kyja. I had hoped that you'd realized that if you continue to lie you will only get pain." Dooku released another burst of Force lightning at Bastila.  
  
"From...the Outer Rim..." Bastila gasped. If the Sith learned the truth about her she knew he'd stop at nothing to turn her to the Dark Side. Her Battle Meditation was too tempting a prize to destroy, and Bastila doubted her ability to resist a concerted effort to turn her.  
  
"Curious that you cling to your fiction," Dooku said coolly. "Considering that by doing so you condemn yourself to a long, painful death." Dooku's opinion of the Jedi woman continued to rise the longer she resisted his questioning. Even with a neural inhibitor on she was able to penetrate his Force-created illusion, and she managed to shrug off all of his attempts to wring the truth out of her.  
  
For a moment Dooku once again considered trying to turn the Jedi, making her his apprentice and challenging his master for supremacy of the Sith and the galaxy. He quickly discarded the notion. Sidious had woven a careful web to bring the galaxy under his heel. However the entire plan was contingent on his survival. In all of Dooku's years he had never met anyone who crafted plans as subtle as Lord Sidious. Without Sidious the entire plot to overthrow the Republic and destroy the Jedi would fall apart.  
  
"I'm dead already," Bastila said. "So why should I give you the satisfaction?"  
  
"Your insolence will be your undoing," Dooku told Bastila as he applied a heated iron to her bare arm.  
  
Bastila cried out in pain as she smelled her burning flesh. "My name is Brin Kyja," she insisted. "And you will regret ever laying a hand on me." Bastila knew that Revan was on his way there. She could feel his presences through their bond growing stronger, but the inhibitor prevented her from knowing where exactly he was. She only hoped that he arrived before the Sith grew tired of the torture and killed her.  
  
Dooku drew his lightsaber. "Such an elegant weapon, is it not? But did you know that the lightsaber is also an effective torture device?" He stared at the crimson blade as he spoke. Out of the corner of his eye he observed Bastila's face. This was his favorite part, when the victim realizes what is about to happen. "Since it cauterizes as it cuts I can remove any extremity from your body without the wound being fatal," Dooku paused. "Incredibly painful, but not fatal. By the end you will beg me to release you from the mortal coil."  
  
Bastila stared at Dooku in mute horror. Despite all the atrocities she witnessed during Revan and Malak's reign of terror she never heard of anything so ghoulish. "Revan," she thought. "Please hurry."  
  
An armored guard entered the room, "What is the meaning of this?" Dooku demanded. "I said no interruptions." He reached out with the Force and began to choke the guard.  
  
"Commander, wishes to speak with you," the guard gasped. "Emergency."  
  
Dooku released the guard and shut down his lightsaber. "You've gained a respite Jedi, but only a temporary one. Consider this, if you tell me the truth I will not make your vision come to pass." Dooku strode out of the room.   
  
Bastila breathed a sigh of relief, then focused her attention on overcoming the neural inhibitor and freeing herself. "Revan might be on his way here," she thought to herself, "But I'm perfectly capable of freeing myself."  
  
"Why did you send for me?" Dooku asked the commander of the guard detail as he strode into the control room of the clandestine interrogation center.  
  
"My lord, the Jedi have found us." The commander pointed to a monitor, two Jedi and a droid were approaching the building.  
  
Dooku sighed, "Dump the computer core and ready the explosive charges. Have your men delay the Jedi for as long as possible. They must not be allowed to find anything." Dooku wheeled around on his heels and began to leave the control room. Although Dooku wished to stay and fight a confrontation with a Jedi rescue party was not advisable.  
  
"What about our prisoner?" The commander asked.  
  
"Kill her," Dooku said without a second thought.  
  
Revan brought the transport out of hyperspace and into orbit around Coruscant. He had not slept once during the flight back to Coruscant. Instead he tinkered with his lightsaber and ran through grueling practice sessions. He couldn't sleep because when he did his mental barriers would fall and the pain Bastila felt threatened to overwhelm him.  
  
For his part Obi-Wan stayed out of Revan's way. He was concerned about Revan's single-mindedness and privately questioned whether or not they were heading into a trap. However he knew better than to voice those concerns to Revan. He knew the other Jedi would shrug them off.  
  
Revan's mood had not improved when his droid called them on the holonet with news of Bastila's capture. Obi-Wan though it incredibly rash of her to have ventured into a Sith redoubt with just a droid as backup. Obi-Wan then remembered that Bastila's tenure as a Jedi was marked by such impulsive decisions, and that he was sitting next to the result of the most famous of those decisions.  
  
Obi-Wan still had a hard time with the fact that the man sitting next to him was actually Revan, the former Dark Lord of the Sith who four thousand years ago almost destroyed the Republic. He had not asked Revan about the Star Forge crises, in part because there had not been time, but also because Obi-Wan wasn't sure how to raise the topic.  
  
Revan landed the ship on the Jedi Temple where they were met by HK-47 and master Windu. It was the droid that spoke first. "Supplication: Master, I have failed you. You gave me one simple task, protect the meatbag Bastila Shan, and I was unable to accomplish it. This HK unit will gladly accept whatever punishment you decide to met out."  
  
"There's no need for that HK, you were facing a Dark Jedi, there wasn't much you could do," Revan assured the droid.  
  
"Query: Do you really hold such a low opinion of me Master to think that I am inferior to an organic?"  
  
"Just those organics who can wield the Force," Revan replied evenly. "Don't worry HK, we'll get Bastila back and I'm going to need your help to do so."  
  
"Statement: I eagerly await providing assistance for what is sure to be a bloody, bloody operation."  
  
Windu stared at Revan. "You told Obi-Wan."   
  
Revan returned the master's gaze. "Yes I did, and it was wrong to do otherwise. Deceit leads to the Dark Side."  
  
"That and a Dark Side influence caused me to attack Revan," Obi-Wan added. "Telling me the truth was the only way to stop me."  
  
"Cautionary: Attempted acts of violence against the Master will only succeed in getting you blasted meat bag," HK threatened. He raised his blaster rifle to emphasize his point.  
  
"Easy there HK," Revan said as he put his hand on HK's blaster. "No harm no foul."  
  
"Commentary: You're just lucky the Master is here," HK informed Obi-Wan.  
  
"What a strange droid," Obi-Wan remarked.  
  
"Have you gotten anywhere looking for Bastila?" Revan asked Windu.  
  
Windu shook his head, "The Sith was quite skilled at covering his tracks. So far we've found no leads."  
  
Revan walked away from the transport. "That's alright, I can find her. Come on HK." The droid followed Revan with a joyful look on his face if such a thing was possible.  
  
Obi-Wan looked at Windu. "You're just going to let him go? You can tell the state he's in. You know how dangerous it is for a Jedi to act with anger ruling them."  
  
"We all must decide for ourselves what path we walk," Windu told Obi-Wan. "No one else can do that for us. Revan has to decide for himself if he will continue to let his emotions rule his decisions. There is nothing I, or you, can say or do that will change his mind."  
  
"I can at least go with him to offer my support," Obi-Wan said before running after Revan.  
  
Obi-wan caught up to Revan as he was entering a ramshackle freighter sitting on an adjacent landing pad. "Revan wait up," Obi-Wan called out. Revan ignored Obi-Wan and entered the freighter. Obi-Wan had to call on the Force to give himself the necessary boost to get on board the ship before the boarding ramp closed.  
  
Inside the ship Obi-Wan found Revan staring at him. "Why are you here?" Revan asked in a flat voice.  
  
"To help you," Obi-Wan said as he caught his breath.  
  
"You know what I'm about to do are you sure you want to be a party to that?"  
  
"Hopefully I can smooth things out when the time comes. By the way, where are we going?"  
  
"The other side of Coruscant."  
  
"So I can stay?"  
  
"Just don't get in my way," Revan touched his com. "Okay T3, take us to the coordinates I gave you." Obi-Wan felt the ship turn and accelerate.  
  
Revan walked into a small workshop adjacent to the boarding ramp. HK was there waiting for him. "Did you bring it?"  
  
"Statement: It is on the workbench waiting for you."  
  
Obi-Wan entered the workshop and found Revan tinkering with a lightsaber. When he finished with his work he ignited the lightsaber and gave it a few test swings.  
  
Obi-Wan stared at the golden lightsaber. "I've never seen a blade like that. What sort of crystal are you using?"  
  
"According to the Rodian I bought it from it's a relic of the Jedi Order lost during the War with Exar Kun. Whatever the truth might be it certainly is extremely powerful." Revan closed down the lightsaber. "HK get ready, we're almost there." Revan walked up to the ship's cockpit and slid into the pilot's seat.  
  
Obi-Wan entered the cockpit and peered over Revan's shoulder. Coruscant was spread out below them. Obi-Wan recognized it as a section of the planet not known for the respectability of its citizenry. "So what exactly is the plan?"  
  
"We get Bastila," Revan answered.  
  
"Some plan," Obi-Wan noted dryly.  
  
"I thought so," Revan replied. He landed the ship a short distance from where he said Bastila was being held. "We don't want to tip our hand too soon," he explained to Obi-Wan.  
  
They walked towards a small warehouse with Revan in the lead. Obi-Wan was surprised at how calm Revan was considering that they were about to assault a Sith base. Obi-wan had to remind himself that to Revan this was business as usual. Obi-Want thought back to when he was an apprentice studying the history of the Jedi. He had wondered how Revan could have gone to the places he did knowing how badly outnumbered he was. Obi-Wan had marveled at the determination it required to look past such obstacles and focus solely on the mission. It was both comforting and frightening to see that determination in person.  
  
"Are you really going to just blast your way in there?" Obi-Wan asked Revan as they hid in the shadows near the warehouse.  
  
"You're worried they'll kill Bastila as soon as they see us," Revan said. "They'll try to do that without a doubt. That's why we have to move quickly."  
  
"That's an awfully big risk, there isn't another way?"  
  
"I've been trying to figure that out all the way here, but we don't know enough about what we're going to find in there to plan things out in detail. HK are you ready?"  
  
"Affirmative: Yes Master, ready and waiting."  
  
"How about you Obi-Wan?"  
  
"I can't say I like any of this, but I'm as ready as I'll ever be."  
  
Revan nodded, "Fair enough." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Follow me." Revan ignited his lightsaber and ran towards the building. He created a battering ram with the Force and smashed open the door. HK-47 was close on his mater's heels with Obi-Wan following the pair at a more sedate pace.  
  
The ensuing fight was a blur in Obi-Wan's mind. Revan moved like a man possessed, cutting down guards without any provocation as he moved towards a target fixed in his mind. HK-47 gleefully shot anything that moved anywhere near him. For his part Obi-Wan fought very little, focusing instead on defending himself and only striking when he absolutely had to.  
  
Revan came to a stop at the first intersection they encountered. "You two stay here and guard the retreat," he told HK and Obi-Wan. "I'll get Bastila." Before either the Jedi or the droid could object Revan ran off down the hall.  
  
Revan bashed down an unmarked door and found a guard armed with a vibroblade struggling with a visibly weakened Bastila. Revan threw his lightsaber at the guard and the glowing blade caught the Sith soldier in the neck, killing him instantly. The guard dropped his vibroblade and fell to the ground.  
  
Revan rushed over and caught Bastila before she tipped over. "Revan," Bastila groaned. "I knew you'd come for me."  
  
He reached out and removed the neural inhibitor from Bastila's neck. "Of course I came. I wasn't going to leave you behind again. But how did you get free?" Revan asked as he brushed sweat-soaked hair out of her face.  
  
"It takes more than a neural inhibitor to constrain a true Jedi," Bastila replied in a strained whisper.  
  
Revan blanched when he saw the ugly burns that marked her arms and legs as well as the other signs of the torture she endured at the hands of the Sith. However her eyes were still as bright and defiant as the first time he saw her. "Come on, let's get you back to the Temple. They can fix you up there. Can you walk?"  
  
Bastila attempted to stand up under her own power and failed. "Apparently not."  
  
Revan reached out with the Force and tried to heal some of Bastila's injuries. A look of relief washed over her face. "Is that better?" He asked.  
  
This time Bastila managed to stand on her feet, if somewhat unsteadily. "I can make it." She tried to take a few steps and began to lose her balance. "With a little help," she added.  
  
"How are we doing HK?" Revan asked into his com as he helped Bastila into the hall.  
  
"Cautionary: We are holding our position, but I cannot estimate for how much longer we will be able to do so."  
  
"Understood, we'll be right there," Revan told the droid.  
  
Revan felt Bastila stiffen in his grasp at the same time the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He turned around and saw a tall, imposing figure dressed in black. Based on Bastila's reaction Revan figured this was the Sith that captured her. Revan discretely stepped in front of Bastila in order to shield her.  
  
"You have tremendous strength Jedi," the Sith said. "Even more than your companion. I'm curious what the results would be if we crossed lightsabers."  
  
"Why don't you find out," Revan challenged. He activated his lightsaber and held it up in a defensive posture.  
  
"Sadly I have other matters to attend to. Rest assured though that if you make it out of here alive our paths will cross again." Before Revan could stop him the Sith disappeared behind a hidden door.  
  
"I don't like the sound of that," Bastila observed.  
  
"He's going to blow the building," Revan said as he picked up Bastila and started to run towards the exit.  
  
"How can you be sure?" Bastila asked.  
  
"It's the easiest way to kill us," Revan explained. "HK, I want you and Obi-Wan to fall back. I think the building is going to explode."  
  
"Negative: No Master, I will not leave you behind."  
  
"Look HK, I need someone to clear my way out of here. Can you do that for me?"  
  
"Affirmative: Nothing would give me greater pleasure."  
  
"You need to do something about that droid," Bastila quipped in a weak voice.  
  
"Now is really not the time to be talking about this," Revan replied lightly. He was beginning to feel the strain of the past few days but managed to fight through the fatigue and called on the Force one more time to augment his speed.  
  
The explosives started to detonate as Revan and Bastila neared the exit. Revan could feel the heat and pressure from the oncoming shockwave. He activated a personal energy shield and threw all of his remaining energy into a Force-assisted leap. The shockwave rebounded off the Verpine manufactured shield and blew Revan and Bastila clear of the explosion.  
  
Obi-wan and HK raced over to where Bastila and Revan lay on the ground. "That was truly remarkable," Obi-Wan said as he helped Revan up.  
  
"Look after Bastila," Revan said as he shrugged off Obi-Wan's assistance.  
  
"Query: Are you sure you are undamaged Master?" HK asked. "I know how frail your squishy parts are."  
  
"I'm fine HK, just tired. How's Bastila?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked up from his examination of Bastila who was now semi-conscious. "She'll be fine, provided we get her to a bacta tank soon."  
  
"Then we'd better get her to one..." Revan started to say. The stress and exertion finally caught up to Revan and the world swam in front of him before fading to black.  
  
Obi-Wan looked down at the two unconscious Jedi Knights. "I assume you'll want to carry your master back to the ship?" He asked HK.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
Author's Notes: Yeah, so this is a bit longer chapter. Looking back on my outline I realized that I accidentally merged two chapters. I would have chopped them in two but neither section was meaty enough to stand on its own. Thanks for reading, I'll keep writing. Although why people are bothering to read this and not Tim Radley or Winterfox I'll never know, not that I'm complaining of course.  



	13. Chapter 13

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Thirteen  
  
"Your Jedi captive escaped with her life, you did not learn anything about her, and we lost the interrogation facility. Please tell me how this is anything less than an abject failure?" Darth Sidious asked Dooku.  
  
Dooku shuddered, he knew his life hung by a thread. "It was a failure my lord, I admit that. The Jedi woman was far stronger than she had any right to be, and I still do not understand how the Jedi were able to find us. We have successfully masked that location in the past."  
  
"A riddle then," Sidious said. "These Jedi match the description given to us by Captain Brecktan of the duo who eluded him. It is clear now that I shall have to take a more active role in determining the threat they pose to us."  
  
"A considerable threat I would imagine," Dooku offered. "They do not fear the Sith, or the Dark Side. It has been my experience that this is not a commonly held belief by the rest of the Order."  
  
"That which you cannot see is always more imposing," Sidious intoned. "That these Jedi are not intimidated by you is an interesting fact to consider. I will have to meditate on it. As for yourself Tyranus fear not. I still have a need for your unique skills. In fact I believe Viceroy Gunray of the Trade Federation wishes to speak with you.."  
  
Dooku bowed low, "Yes my master."  
  
"And Tyranus, do not fail me again. No one is irreplaceable."  
  
"I understand my lord," Dooku told the departing Sith Lord. He briefly pondered asking if that included Lord Sidious, then thought better of it. It was far better to continue to bide his time. Soon the tables would be turned, all Dooku had to do was wait.  
  
Dooku roused himself from his musings and walked over to a communication terminal. While he waited for the connection to the Trade Federation to be established he slipped back into his Count Dooku persona. After a short while the face of the Trade Federation leader appeared. "Viceroy Gunray, you wished to speak with me?"  
  
"Yes Count Dooku, I have been trying to get in touch with you for some time now." Gunray was not someone used to being made to wait.   
  
"My apologies Viceroy. I have been tied up in other matters." Dooku hated dealing with Gunray, the Niemodian was nowhere nearly as clever as he thought he was. Nothing would have pleased Dooku more than crushing the life out of the alien. However, until the Kamino project came to fruition he needed the simpletons of the Trade Federation.  
  
"The Jedi were here. They tried to steal my computer files!" Gunray exclaimed. "Why would they try to do this?  
  
Dooku sensed an opening with the Viceroy, up to this point the Trade Federation had been reluctant members of the Separatist movement, driven mostly by their hatred of Queen Amidala of Naboo. "It's quite simple really. The Jedi are the lapdogs of the Senate," Dooku explained. "And the Senate is at Queen Amidala's beck and call."  
  
"How can you be so sure of this?" Gunray asked.  
  
"What planet is Chancellor Palpatine from? The people of Naboo will not soon forget the harm you inflicted on their planet. So long as Palpatine is in office and Amidala draws breath they will oppose you and use everything at their disposal to do so."  
  
"What you say has merit," Gunray concluded. "I think in the future the Trade Federation will have to work more closely with your organization."  
  
Dooku smiled, sometimes it was so easy. "I look forward to it."  
  
Bastila felt awareness flow back into her body as she gradually awoke. She looked around and saw that she was in a private room located in the Jedi Tempe's infirmary. She looked down at her arms and saw the faded marks from her torture session. "I must have been in a bacta tank," she surmised. She saw that Revan was lying asleep in a chair next to her bed. Bastila smiled, he had rescued her from the Sith. Even though she knew he would it still meant a great deal to her that Revan would drop his mission just to save her.  
  
Bastila still had a hard time sorting out her feelings for Revan. She said that she loved him, and meant it, but why? Was it the result of the Force bond? The Jedi part of her wanted to say that it was. That the experience of their shared emotions was clouding her judgment. She knew that explanation did not ring true, that there was more to it than that. Revan was the first person who saw her as a person. To the Jedi and Sith Bastila, and her Battle Meditation, was an asset to be exploited. To the galaxy as a whole she was a Jedi, someone to be respected, but at the same time someone to be kept at a distance. Bastila knew it was trite to say, but Revan saw past that and was more interested in her than her abilities. Such attention was flattering, especially to someone not used to receiving it.  
  
Beyond that there was something about Revan's character that Bastila found attractive. He did not let being a Jedi get in the way of his enjoyment of life. Bastila had spent her entire life trying to follow a rigid asceticism that never took hold with her. To her Revan's outlook was like a breath of fresh air. On top of that he was caring, and not to mention quite dashing.  
  
"Figured it out yet?" Revan asked, interrupting Bastila's thoughts. She looked over at Revan and saw that he had woken up while she was lost in thought.  
  
"Whatever do you mean?" Bastila asked with feigned ignorance.  
  
"You seemed to be giving something quite a lot of thought," Revan told her.  
  
"Don't you dare say anything about Kinrath pups," Bastila warned Revan.  
  
Revan held up his hands defensively, "I wasn't going to say anything, but now that you mention it..."  
  
"For your information I was trying to figure out why I didn't try to make you my Dark Apprentice when I had the chance," Bastila retorted impulsively. She sighed, "No, that wasn't it. I was trying to figure out us."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Why did you pursue me?" Bastila asked in frustration. "You knew what the Council thought of such relationships."  
  
"If you must know it's the Council's fault," Revan answered with a chuckle.  
  
"How is it possibly the Council's fault?"  
  
"They gave me the identity and memories of a non-Force user, remember? I didn't have years of Jedi training pounded into my head. You were an attractive woman who was extremely cute when flustered, and were so easy to fluster."  
  
"So that's it, the whole reason you tried to seduce me was because you think I'm cute when I'm angry?" Bastila began to fume. "I've been agonizing for...no wait, that's what you're doing right now isn't it?"  
  
"You cant on quickly Padawan," Revan said with a smile.  
  
"But what you were saying about your memories, that was true?"   
  
Revan nodded, "That part was, yes."  
  
"So it wasn't some after effect of your former self?"  
  
Revan laughed derisively, "The old Revan would never have been interested in you for anything more than your Battle Meditation. I don't think he had a genuine relationship in his life."  
  
"But what about he and Malak before they turned?"  
  
"Basted on everything I've seen, and remembered, Revan always considered Malak his muscle. He might not have used those exact words while he was still a Jedi, but if you look at how he used Malak it's pretty clear. Besides, he had the same Jedi training you did, he would have been just as indoctrinated against all this as you are."  
  
"For all the good it did him," Bastila noted.  
  
"True," Revan agreed. "Look, I don't want you to think my memory loss was the only reason. How can I put this? I had my inhibitions removed, or emotional barriers broken down, or something. I'm not sure. What I do know is that I love you, and the reasons why I do aren't nearly as important as the fact that I do."  
  
"That might be enough for you, but I do remember my Jedi training. A Jedi is not to get romantically involved with anyone."  
  
"And yet you are," Revan pointed out. "There's no sense in beating yourself up over it."  
  
"I know that, and I don't want to sound like I think we're doing something wrong."  
  
"But you need reassurance that you made the right decision."  
  
"Well yes," Bastila admitted. Revan leaned over and kissed Bastila. "That's cheating," Bastila protested. "I'm talking about a reason based on logic, not hormones."  
  
Revan kissed Bastila again. "Sometimes Jedi Shan you have to tell logic to stuff itself."  
  
Bastila smiled, Revan could be very persuasive. "Tell me more about this school of thought," she told him as she returned his kiss.  
  
They were interrupted by the ringing of the door chime. Bastila and Revan quickly disentangled themselves. "Come in," Bastila called out.   
  
The door slid open and Anakin entered the room. "My apologies for disturbing you Master Kyja," he said with a bow.  
  
"That's not a problem Anakin," Bastila replied. "Master Delwynn and I were just...discussing Jedi philosophy."  
  
"That's right," Revan added, "Jedi philosophy."  
  
Anakin stared at the two Jedi Masters. He knew that they were not telling him the complete truth, but the boy was used to that so he shrugged it off. "Master Yoda asked me to escort Master Delwynn to the Council chamber for an audience."  
  
Revan nodded, "Of course. If you wouldn't mind waiting outside for a moment I'll be right with you."  
  
"Yes master," Anakin said with a bow, then walked out of the room.  
  
Bastila glanced up at Revan. "I know it's awful of me to say this, but I do not trust Yoda, or Windu." Revan raised his eyebrows but waited for her to continue. "They are hiding something from us, or us from something, I'm not sure which."  
  
Revan kissed Bastila on the forehead. "That's alright, I don't trust them either, but I don't sense any malice from them." He smiled. "They're Jedi Masters, it's what they do."  
  
"Still, be careful," Bastila advised. "I'd hate to have to rescue you from the clutches of the Sith. Thought it would make for a nice change of pace."  
  
Revan chuckled and walked to the door. "Don't worry, I'll be right back."  
  
Revan exited the room and saw Anakin standing there waiting for him. "Master Yoda is waiting for you," Anakin said as he motioned for Revan to follow him.  
  
The pair walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple. "So you're Anakin Skywalker, Master Kenobi's Padawan," Revan stated. He could understand why Obi-Wan had high hopes for the boy, he was brimming with power.  
  
Anakin nodded, "That is correct Master Delwynn."  
  
"Master Kenobi talked about you quite a bit. He thinks very highly of you."  
  
"He does?" Anakin asked, almost in amazement.  
  
"Of course he does," Revan confirmed. "He says you're the strongest Padawan in the temple."  
  
"He never tells me that," Anakin groused.  
  
Revan chuckled, "No I wouldn't expect he would. That's not the role of a master. There is so much you have to learn in order to be a good Jedi that you can never get complacent. There is always something more for you to learn. Your master is trying to get you to understand this. Sometimes a master can lose sight of the fact that getting a compliment every now and then is also appreciated." Revan smiled at Anakin. "My master was the same way." While Revan had no way of knowing if that was true or not, he figured that having Bastila try to teach him the way of the Force was close enough.  
  
"Who was your master?" Anakin asked.  
  
"You wouldn't know him," Revan said quickly. "He lived in the Outer Rim and died many, many years ago."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. That is the way of the Force. People live, people die. What's important is how they lived." Revan laughed. "That sounded incredibly trite didn't it?"  
  
Anakin smiled, "A little yeah."  
  
"That's the other thing Jedi Masters are good for; spouting trite sayings and passing them off as great wisdom." A thought struck Revan and he stared at the boy. "Tell me Anakin, are you afraid?"  
  
"Afraid? What do I have to be afraid of?"  
  
"There are plenty of things to be afraid of out there Padawan," Revan said. "Only a fool has no fear."   
  
"But Master Yoda says that fear leads to the Dark Side."  
  
Revan stared into the boy's eyes and wondered if he had the same expression on his face when he was Anakin's age. Anakin had all the power in the galaxy at his fingertips but despite that he was still a child. "There's nothing wrong with fear; your master even said as much to me. You just can't let that fear dominate you. It's a fine line I know, but do you want to hear a little secret?"  
  
"Let me guess you were afraid when you stormed that Sith enclave."  
  
"Very good, Obi-Wan wasn't exaggerating when he said how strong you are," Revan told Anakin.  
  
"Thank-you master, I am doing my best to become as strong as I can."  
  
"Who are you trying to be strong for? It's alright, you can tell me," Revan added when he saw the hesitant look on Anakin's face.  
  
"My mother," Anakin admitted. "If I get strong enough I can free her."  
  
"Free her?" Revan asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.  
  
"She's a slave, on Tatooine," Anakin explained.  
  
Revan wasn't sure what shocked him more, that slavery still existed, or that people were still trying to eke out a living on the miserable rock known as Tatooine. "Would you mind indulging a Jedi Master, I want to tell you a story."  
  
"Would it make a difference if I said no?"  
  
Revan smiled, "Not in the slightest. Now there once was a Twi'lek slave girl who lived on Sleheyron who was very strong with the Force. She managed to escape from her slaver and was found by the Jedi. She joined the Order in the hopes of freeing her friends who remained enslaved. However her training did not progress quickly enough for her. In her thirst for power she broke with the Order and joined the Sith, but a funny thing happened."  
  
"What?" Anakin asked.  
  
"The more power she acquired the less she thought about freeing her friends. She gained power, but lost her compassion. The Dark Side is like that, it can twist even the most noble of intentions."  
  
"Master Kyja said something similar to me the other day," Anakin commented.  
  
"And you'd do well to listen to her. Master Kyja is quite wise in the ways of the Force," Revan paused. "But you still want to free your mother don't you?"  
  
"Of course I do," Anakin snapped. "She is my mother after all."  
  
"And you love her, that's understandable."  
  
"I don't...that is to say...a Jedi isn't supposed to love."  
  
Revan did his best not to roll his eyes. Sometimes even the very wise were blind to the obvious. First Bastila, now Anakin, Revan wondered how many other Jedi had been traumatized by their separation from their family at such a young age. He recalled the implanted memories of the family the Jedi Council created for him and he wondered if they had made him more resistant to the Dark Side. He had no reason to resent the Jedi for taking him away from his family. Although the revelations about his past did change that. "Hogwash, love is an emotion, to deny love is like denying breathing. A very wise, and irritating, old man once explained to me like this. Passion can be twisted and used by the Dark Side, but passion is not love."  
  
"So you think the order is wrong?"  
  
"I didn't say that. Love might be a basic emotion, but it's also the most complex, and the Dark Side can taint much that is good and pure. The Order's policy makes sense, but only if you're afraid."  
  
"Afraid?"  
  
"Love in an emotion that is hard to control, and what is the Order keen on?"  
  
"Control," Anakin admitted.  
  
"That's right. So longs as you don't let love control you it cannot lead to the Dark Side."  
  
"So what you're saying is that it's ok for a Jedi to love someone?" Anakin asked hopefully.  
  
"Anakin, that's what separates the Jedi from the Sith."  
  
They came to a stop in front of the doors to the Council chambers. "I'm not allowed to go inside," Anakin said.  
  
"Thank-you for bringing me here Anakin," Revan said. "I hope you consider what I had to say."  
  
Anakin nodded, "Yes I will, thank-you Master Delwynn." Anakin ran down the hall towards his quarters.  
  
Revan paused at the door, he felt a sense of unease at what he would find inside. He shook off the feeling as silly and walked into the Council chambers. Inside he found Yoda, Windu, Obi-Wan and an elderly man he did not recognize. "You wished to see me Master Yoda?" Revan asked.  
  
"Ahh, Master Delwynn, good, good. Someone to meet you there is."  
  
Revan noticed that the elderly man wore very expensive looking clothes and acted like he expected Revan to recognize him. "Chancellor Palpatine," Revan guessed. "So nice to finally meet you."  
  
"I feel the same way Master Delwynn," Palpatine replied.  
  
"I see introductions are not in order," Windu wryly observed.  
  
"Well of course not," Revan said with feigned enthusiasm. "You'd have to be from the past or something not to recognize the Chancellor of the Senate." Revan held a distaste for public officials that he was sure dated back to his former self.  
  
"I wanted to meet the Jedi who has done so much to further effort to root the Sith menace out of our beloved Republic," Palpatine explained. "I have been told you were able to unmask a traitor in my own office. Rest assured that I will have my personal security force uncover the depth of his treachery and any of his coconspirators."  
  
"Any assistance you can provide to my search is greatly appreciated," Revan said carefully.  
  
"This is a very delicate topic politically speaking. If my enemies in the Senate found out that a Jedi Master was investigating my office the ramifications would be dire, especially since there's no greater friend to the Jedi Order than myself."  
  
"The Jedi Council has no problem with letting your security detail lead the investigation of your office," Windu said quickly.  
  
"I don't want you to think that I am trying to circumvent your investigation," Palpatine added. "But this is a sensitive time in the Senate, and it wouldn't do to have a witch hunt on our hands."  
  
Revan fought down his annoyance. "I will of course follow the Council's guidance in this matter."  
  
"Please don't think I'm ungrateful," Palpatine told Revan. "In fact if Master Yoda had not insisted that Jedi have no use for personal honors I would have awarded both you and Master Kenobi medals. I hope my most sincere thanks will be appropriate compensation." Palpatine held his hand out to Revan.  
  
Revan accepted the offered handshake and looked the Chancellor straight in the eyes. However, instead of the kindly face of Chancellor Palpatine he saw the corrupted visage of a follower of the Dark Side. Revan didn't understand how he could see this, but he knew that he was looking into the face of the Dark Lord of the Sith.  
  
He blinked and the vision was gone. "Thank-you for your kind words Chancellor," Revan said quickly to cover his surprise. He carefully checked Palpatine's demeanor to see if he had a similar vision to Revan's. As far as Revan could tell though Palpatine's expression remained fixed.  
  
"Now if you will please excuse me I have several pressing matters of state to attend to before the next session of the Senate. Once again, thank-you ever so much Master Delwynn." Palpatine smiled again, but this time Revan noticed that the smile did not extend to the man's eyes.  
  
As Revan watched Palpatine say his goodbyes to Windu and Yoda he decided then not to mention his vision to the others. It was obvious that they would not believe him. On its face it was a preposterous notion and Revan knew it. Even so, he put his trust in the Force and that it would not steer him wrong.  
  
"How is Bastila?" Windu asked after Palpatine had left.  
  
"She's fine, she should be back on her feet tomorrow," Revan said brusquely.  
  
"Troubled are you by our decision?" Yoda asked. "Think we should not defer to the Chancellor's own security?"  
  
"Of course not," Revan said smoothly. "You know the political culture here better than I do." It occurred to Revan that Palpatine might be exerting some level of control over the Jedi. It sounded ridiculous, but then again, so did the Chancellor of the Senate being a Sith Lord.  
  
"There is a faction within the Senate that claims the Jedi Order is an archaic relic and a drain on Republic resources," Windu explained. "If it became public knowledge that the Jedi were looking for the Sith they would claim that we were scaremongering to justify our existence."  
  
"I serve the Council," Revan snapped. "You don't have to justify your decisions to me. Now is there anything else you need from me? I'd like to get back to Bastila."  
  
"No that is all. Thank-you for your time Jedi Revan," Windu said.  
  
"I should be going too," Obi-Wan said as Revan walked out of the Council chambers. "There's no telling what manner of trouble Anakin has managed to get himself into." Obi-Wan bowed to Windu and Yoda before leaving.  
  
Revan forced himself to remain composed as he walked back to Bastila's room. His mind raced as he tried to plan his next step. It was too soon for a direct confrontation. What he needed was incontrovertible proof of Palpatine's true identity.  
  
"What happened?" Bastila asked as soon as Revan entered the room. "I can feel the turmoil inside you."  
  
"I just met the Chancellor," Revan answered.  
  
"And?"  
  
"And he's the Dark Lord of the Sith."  
  
"He's what?" Bastila shouted incredulously. "Are you sure?"  
  
"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't. When we shook hands I saw his true form."  
  
"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but that sounds awfully farfetched."  
  
"I know, that's why I have to find additional proof."  
  
"Have you voiced these concerns to the Jedi Council?"  
  
"I figured I'd wait until I had hard proof."  
  
"I see, and just how will you get that proof?" Bastila asked.  
  
"I'll break into his office and find something incriminating."  
  
"Are you sure that's wise?" By the tone of Bastila's voice it was readily apparent that she did not think so.  
  
"I don't see any way around it. I know that Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord, I just have to prove it."  
  
"This just feels," Bastila flailed about for the right word. "Wrong," she finally said. "You should consult the Council before deciding on any action."  
  
"But what if he's exerting some sort of control over the Council? It might not be overt, but he must be clouding their minds if they cannot see him for what he is. No, the only way they'll believe me is if I have incontrovertible proof."  
  
"Then at least wait and let me accompany you," Bastila pleaded.  
  
"The sooner I expose Palpatine the less damage he will be capable of doing," Revan replied. "Look, Bastila, this is something I have to do. You wanted to know why we're here? I think this is to, to stop Palpatine from destroying the Republic. I know the Sith better than anyone in this time, and maybe that's what let me see Palpatine for who he really is."  
  
"What you're saying smacks more of ego than the truth," Bastila retorted. "You're becoming dangerously obsessed with tracking down the Sith Revan. I don't want to see that consume you."  
  
Revan's face hardened. "I know what I'm doing," he said petulantly.  
  
"I wonder, do you really?" Bastila asked in a quiet voice.  
  
Revan started to say something, but caught himself. "I'll see you when I get back," he said softly. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Jedi Revan." Bastila placed a heavy emphasis on the word Jedi.  
  
Revan glanced at his feet before turning and walking out the door. Bastila sighed and thought back to her vision on Rakata. "I'm doing my best," she thought to herself. "But he isn't listening."  
  
A short while later Yoda stumped into Bastila's room. "Greetings Jedi Shan. Looking for Revan I am, seen him have you?"  
  
"Revan is not here," Bastila said. "I'm afraid he is off making a terrible mistake."  
  
Yoda's ears drooped. "I see, make our own decisions we all must," he said with a sigh.  
  
Inside the Ebon Hawk's garage Revan finished pulling on his suit of Baragwin Shadow Armor, Jedi robes were not the sort of thing a person wore when breaking into the estate of the Chancellor. He walked over to the workbench and picked up his lightsaber and a highly modified Heavy Mandalorian blaster. The lightsaber went into its concealed sheath while the blaster slid into the holder at his side. Revan checked his supply of computer and security spikes and tossed a few pieces of extra gear into one of the saddlebags on his swoop bike.   
  
Revan paused a moment to reflect on what he was about to do. Bastila had struck a chord with him when she accused him of acting out of ego. He wondered if she was right that he was being foolish in going off on his own. He then reminded himself of the vision he had on Korriban and the billions of lives that would be lost if Palpatine was allowed to conquer the galaxy. Revan could not in good conscience do nothing knowing what he knew.  
  
Revan gunned the swoop bike's engine. Besides he was not acting out of ego. He knew he wasn't the only person who could save the galaxy, but he was in the best position to do so. He drove the swoop out of the Ebon Hawk and flew out into the Coruscant sky.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
-author's notes: Things are starting to heat up now aren't they? In the next chapter Revan and Palpatine have a lovely tea party where they talk out their differences! I would also like to take this moment to say that writing for Yoda is a bitch and a half. Fun fact, my long hand rough draft just went over the 200 page mark. Once again, thanks all for reading and reviewing.  
  
-sam  



	14. Chapter 14

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Fourteen  
  
Revan stared at the Chancellor's Palace through a pair of macrobinoculars. He had waited until nightfall before starting his infiltration and put the time spent waiting to use observing the building to get a sense of the security measures in place.  
  
All around him Coruscant thrummed with activity but Revan focused solely on his objective. He watched as a stream of speeders left the compound, the bureaucrats were going home for the day. This suited Revan since it made it easier for him to move around within the palace.  
  
Revan saw a cargo hauler approach his position. He had hacked into the Palace's communication system and knew that the hauler was carrying food for an upcoming state function. It was also Revan's key to entering the palace.  
  
Revan took a deep breath then leapt off the building. As he hurtled down he activated the stealth unit built into his armor. He twisted through the air and called on the Force to slow his descent. He landed gently on the roof of the cargo hauler and then lay flat as it roared through the gates of the palace.  
  
Revan listened as droids unloaded the hauler. He slipped off the roof and landed noiselessly on the ground. A rapidly approaching droid forced him to roll out of its way or be crushed. He followed the droids inside the palace.  
  
All the incoming droids passed through a scanner manned by a pair of heavily armored guards. Revan hoped that the Genoharaden-designed stealth unit would be able to confuse the scanner enough to get him through. "This might be a short trip," Revan thought to himself. He knew he could use his Force powers to confuse the guards if they did detect him, but in doing so he would alert Palpatine to his presence.  
  
"Have I ever mentioned how boring this is?" One of the guards asked his companion.  
  
"Only about five times already tonight," the other guard replied testily.  
  
"I don't even know why we have to be here," the first guard continued. "The scanner will catch anything trying to get in and initiate lockdown."  
  
"Oh quit complaining, would you rather be stationed on some frozen rock chasing down pirates?"  
  
"I didn't join up to stand watch over a bunch of droids that's for sure."  
  
As the guards argued Revan slipped through the security scanner. The scanner beeped that it found something abnormal but Revan kept walking.  
  
"What was that?" The attentive guard asked. "You there, droid, stop." He ordered the droid that Revan followed through the scanner.   
  
Revan watched from a short distance away as the two guards carefully examined the droid. "Nothing here, must be a glitch in the system." The first guard said. Revan breathed a sigh of relief and continued on his way.  
  
Revan stole through the hallways of the palace until he came to a deserted collection of offices. He entered the first open office he came to and activated the computer terminal located inside. "Thank-you Master Vrook," Revan said quietly to himself. The new set of skills the Jedi Council gave him to round out his new identity once again proved invaluable. Revan was not sure why the Jedi had given him the talents of a galactic freebooter, but he was not going to complain.  
  
Revan downloaded the floor layout for the palace and shutdown the terminal. He paused when he heard the sound of a patrol walking past the office door. Revan crouched behind the office's desk to stay out of sight.  
  
"What's this door doing open?" One of the guards asked.  
  
"Probably a cleaning droid," the guard's partner replied.  
  
"Cleaning droids aren't due through this section for another hour." Revan heard the door fully slid open. "Nothing's in here, some wage slave must not have shut his door tight. Make a note of that."  
  
Revan listened as the two guards continued on their patrol. He eased out of the office, this time he made sure the door latched shut behind him. He glanced up and down the hallway before sprinting into the nearest stairwell.  
  
According to the map he downloaded the Chancellor's office was only accessible through a single elevator. "Trust a Sith to be overly paranoid about his security," Revan muttered to himself. Getting past the checkpoints at both ends of the elevator would not be easy.  
  
The elevator that lead to Palpatine's office sat in a small corridor that was more an elevator junction than an actual hallway. Revan had no problem identifying which elevator of the several elevators in the hallway lead to the Chancellor's office -- it was the only elevator with guards standing watch in front of it. Revan waited patiently behind a stack of cargo containers for an opening to make his move.  
  
The opportunity arose when the next shift came to replace the guards currently on duty. Revan slipped onto the elevator the replacements arrived on. He pushed open the service hatch in the elevator's ceiling and climbed onto the roof of the elevator car. Revan saw a ladder leading up to a maintenance hatch. He scrambled up the ladder and climbed through the hatch.  
  
Revan found himself looking down the elevator shaft that lead to Palpatine's office. The elevator car was still at the security checkpoint so Revan dropped down onto the roof of the car. "I hope the ceiling isn't flush to the car," Revan thought to himself. "That would be an embarrassing end to the great Revan."  
  
The elevator shot up the shaft. Revan felt himself flatten against the car as it continued to accelerate up into the darkness. There were no lights lining the walls so Revan had no sense for how far he was traveling.  
  
After a several minute ascent Revan felt the elevator begin to slow down. He readied himself to call on the Force if it looked like he was about to be crushed, but the car came to a stop with several meters to spare. Without giving his possible demise a second thought Revan eased open the service door in the car's ceiling and looked into the car. He saw that the guards had all left the elevator. Revan seized the opening, he swung himself through the service door and let his momentum carry himself out of the elevator. He landed with a soft thud behind one of the replacement guards.  
  
The guard heard the noise and turned his head to see what caused it. "Hey, Jevrit, pay attention," the guard's commander snapped.  
  
"Sorry Sarge," Jevrit said. "I thought I heard something behind me." Revan quickly walked away from the group.  
  
As Revan walked down the hall he could still hear the sergeant berate the guard. "I don't see anything there, do you?" The sergeant said derisively. "Now look sharp, there've been a few reports of things out of place." Revan chuckled to himself as the sergeant's voice faded out.  
  
Revan easily defeated the security mechanism on the door to the chancellor's office. Once the door closed behind him he deactivated the stealth field to give it a chance to recharge. The office was spacious, but less opulent than Revan expected. Palpatine was obviously concerned with not looking out of touch with the average Republic citizen.  
  
Revan walked around the large desk that sat in front of the bay windows. He inserted a computer spike into the access port of the computer built into the desk and began to slice the chancellor's system.  
  
"Master Delwynn, what are you doing here?" A voice asked. Revan looked up and saw Palpatine standing in the center of the room. "If I didn't know any better I would say you're trying to steal from me."  
  
"I wouldn't say stealing," Revan replied. "I'm simply conducting my investigation."  
  
"But I thought I made it abundantly clear that my security force will take care of everything."  
  
"I have a hard time believing that," Revan said. "Considering that their boss is the person I'm looking for."  
  
"The commander of my security detail is a Sith Lord? Impossible."  
  
"I wasn't talking about your security chief Chancellor, or should I say Darth?"  
  
Palpatine chuckled, "Oh so you think I'm the Dark Lord of the Sith do you? Master Delwynn I'm afraid you've been chasing ghosts for far too long."  
  
"Not at all. See I got to thinking. Based on the testimony of the Neimoidians I know that the Sith encouraged the blockade on Naboo. But why? Why a little nothing of a planet like Naboo. It's a planet just like a thousand others in the Republic. From the Trade Federation's standpoint there was no good reason for them to blockade that planet." Revan walked out behind the desk and advanced on Palpatine. "But you gained a great deal, didn't you. Convenient isn't it that the Trade Federation blockaded your home world. If there was no blockade then you wouldn't be in this office."  
  
"You know you really are a quiet gifted storyteller Master Delwynn. I should think you would have a highly successful career writing holo vid scripts," Palpatine said derisively.  
  
"You engineered the blockade to advance your political career. You have agents like Alton Behl sowing mistrust throughout the galaxy, all the while you sit here and decry their actions and gain more political power in the process."  
  
"You wouldn't happen to have any proof to back up these rather convoluted and paranoid accusations of yours."  
  
Revan decided to try and bluff Palpatine. He reached into a pocket and withdrew a blank data disk. "I have all the proof right here."  
  
Palpatine chuckled, "A nice try Master Delwynn, but I know that disk is blank, I've watched you from the moment you entered this office. Now would you please leave. If you go now I won't mention this little talk of ours to the Jedi Council."  
  
"I've seen your true form," Revan insisted. "When we shook hands earlier today. You cannot hide your nature from me Palpatine so drop the act."  
  
Palpatine sighed, "Very well, if you insist...Revan," His voice turned more sinister and dropped an octave when he said Revan's name. "Oh yes, I know your little secret. It seems the Force allowed us to see each other for who we really are."  
  
"So let me guess, this is all a trap," Revan said  
  
"That all depends on why you are here," Palpatine replied smoothly. "Come, sit down. Unless you are here to try and kill me." He brushed past Revan and sat down behind his desk. Without thinking about it Revan sat down in one of the chairs opposite the desk. "Good, I was hoping that we could talk this out like civilized beings. Now, if you aren't here to kill me why are you here?"  
  
"To turn you away from the Dark Side," Revan said matter-of-factly.  
  
Palpatine chuckled, "Why would I want to do that?"  
  
"Because the Dark Side offers nothing but death."  
  
"Everyone dies, regardless of which side of the Force they follow," Palpatine pointed out. "So why should I limit myself based on some archaic set of morals?"  
  
"Your condemning yourself to a never ending cycle of violence. Eventually hatred will be all that you know, how can you possibly enjoy life like that," Revan paused, "But you already know that don't you? That's why you're doing all this; you feel like there's something missing. So you obtain more power, but that's not enough so you get more. What happens when you conquer the galaxy and you still feel hollow Palpatine?"  
  
"Don't even begin to presume you know how I feel," Palpatine snarled. "I should summon my guards right now and have you arrested."  
  
"But you won't" Revan confidently said. "There's something you want from me."  
  
"What I want is for you to join me. Your tactical skills combined with my political acumen would be an unstoppable force."  
  
"I've already traveled down that path, I have no intention of repeating my mistakes."  
  
"In that case you are a fool!" Palpatine snapped. "A fool blinded by Jedi lies."  
  
"You're the one who's blind," Revan shot back. "I've seen what happens to the Sith in the end. I've seen the ghosts of the ancient Sith, heard them talk of their regret. If you continue down this path you are binding yourself to their fate."  
  
"How a weak fool like yourself managed to beat Darth Malak is something I'll never understand," Palpatine said scornfully. "He must have been truly incompetent if even with the Star Forge's help he lost."  
  
Revan chuckled, "No that's not it at all. Malak was powerful, perhaps even as strong as you, and the Star Forge added to his power immeasurably. But that didn't matter because I found something even more powerful."  
  
"Oh you did, let me guess, is it some scrap of Jedi doggerel?"  
  
Revan shook his head, "No, it's something neither the Jedi or the Sith understand."  
  
"Then enlighten me."  
  
Revan smirked, "Now that would be telling wouldn't it."  
  
"But it is what makes you resistant to the Dark Side," Palpatine stated.  
  
"It allows me to see through your lies," Revan replied.  
  
"Such confidence is unbecoming in a Jedi," Palpatine noted.  
  
"Who said I'm still a Jedi?" Revan countered.  
  
"I see, you've transcended labels like Jedi and Sith. You are now a servant of the Living Force, is that it?"  
  
"We are all servants of the Force," Revan replied. "The only difference is that I reject the Dark Side."  
  
"Ah, so you reject the Dark Side. Then how do you account for the darkness that I can feel seething in the depths of your soul? Come now Revan surely you know that once you start down the dark path you are never free of it."  
  
"The Force is both the light and the dark," Revan replied without rising to the bait. "And both exist within all of us. Even you Palpatine." Revan smirked as he tossed the insult back at the Sith Lord.  
  
Palpatine's hands gripped the arms of his chair tightly. "I will enjoy breaking you Revan," he said after he collected himself. "Perhaps it is better this way, that we know each others true identity. It makes the game all the more interesting."  
  
"This isn't a game Palpatine, turn away from the Dark Side, or you will be destroyed."  
  
"Is that a threat?"  
  
Revan shook a head, "Like you said, we all die, sooner or later, but your death will be quicker than mine if you continue to follow the Dark Side."  
  
"So sure of that are you? In that case you had better strike quickly since you will not be leaving this building alive."  
  
Revan leapt out of his seat and drew his lightsaber, "You're welcome to try," he told Palpatine.  
  
"Yes, yes a grand lightsaber battle is exactly what you had in mind isn't it? Preferably in front of as many people as possible, what better way to show I am the Dark Lord of the Sith? Sorry, but no. You will have to be more subtle than that."  
  
Revan returned his lightsaber to its sheath and drew his blaster. "Alright then, no lightsabers." He aimed the blaster at a point between Palpatine's eyes.  
  
"The thought occurs to me," Palpatine began to say, not batting an eyelash at the blaster pointed at his head. "If you are Revan then the lovely young lady accompanying you must be Bastila Shan."  
  
"Leave her out of this," Revan said as he tightened his grip on the blaster.  
  
"I wonder if she has such an enlightened outlook about the Force as you?" Palpatine continued. "Personally I have no use for her, but my apprentice would find her talents most intriguing. Naturally if you were to kill me here he would become the new Dark Lord and would need to find an apprentice to train in the ways of the Sith. I'm sure your precious Bastila would be the first person he would 'ask' to join him."  
  
"Bastila won't turn to the Dark Side," Revan insisted.  
  
"Again you mean," Palpatine added. "Are you so sure about that. Are you willing to take that risk?"  
  
Before Revan could reply the door to the office burst open and a squad of guards burst into the room. "Chancellor Palpatine, your silent alarm..." the lead guard's voice trailed off when he saw Revan pointing his blaster at Palpatine. "Drop the blaster!" The guard shouted as the squad aimed their rifles at Revan.  
  
"I believe we find ourselves in a bit of a stand-off," Palpatine told Revan. "What will it be, shoot me and die, or turn yourself in."  
  
"Neither," Revan said. He spun to his right and fired a volley of blaster shots over the heads of the guards. The guards ducked for cover giving Revan the time to throw a grenade at one of the large windows looking out on Coruscant. The resulting explosion blew out the window and a sizeable chunk of the wall. Revan ran towards the hole in the wall. "This isn't over," he shouted at Palpatine before throwing himself out into the Coruscant night.  
  
"No, I wouldn't imagine it is," Palpatine said to himself as he watched Revan's fall. "That man was a Separatist Assassin," he told the guard commander. "I want him taken care of."  
  
"But sir," the commander protested, "He just threw himself out..."  
  
"Yes I know that, scrap his body off the pavement if you have to, but bring his corpse to me!"  
  
The commander saluted. "Yes sir."  
  
As Revan plummeted towards the ground he tapped a button built into his armor. His swoop bike responded to the call and shot out of the sky. The bike raced past Revan and he called on the Force to angle himself onto the bike. He gunned the engine and sped away from the palace.  
  
A blaster bolt flew past Revan's head telling him that his escape had been less than clean. Revan looked behind him and saw a pair of palace security speeders closing in fast. "Ok boys see if you can keep up," Revan said to himself as he dove into the heavy Coruscant speeder traffic.  
  
Revan relied on his Force-assisted reflexes to weave his way through the slower moving speeder traffic. He spared a glance back and saw that the speeders were still keeping pace. Revan gunned the bike's engine and roared between a pair of freight haulers.  
  
The daring gambit did not pay off, and the blaster fire that skittered over Revan's head proved as much. Revan banked hard and sent the bike plunging down in a spiraling dive towards the lower level of speeder traffic.  
  
This time he entered a stream of traffic heading in the opposite direction he was. Sweat started to form on Revan's brow as he concentrated on not smashing headlong into one of the oncoming speeders. At the very least Revan knew his pursuers weren't following him, a person would have to be crazy to attempt a stunt like this.  
  
Revan slalomed out of the line of traffic and paused to catch his breath. The swoop bike rocked as a blaster shot skimmed the nose of the bike. Revan looked up and swore, the security speeders were approaching quickly. The drivers had followed Revan's progress from above the line of traffic and now that he was in the clear they were vectoring in on him.  
  
"They're persistent, I'll give them that," Revan muttered as he flew between a pair of skyscrapers. Blaster fire splashed all around him. The swoop shot out from the gap and into a heavy stream of traffic. It took all of Revan's skill to cross the lane without getting hit by either blaster fire or another speeder.  
  
Revan veered sharply and watched as streaks of red sailed through the space the bike had occupied. He pointed the nose of the swoop down towards the ground. The swoop was more maneuverable in low altitude situations than the larger speeders. Revan pulled out of the dive with barely a meter to spare.  
  
The core of Revan's problem was that he could not head directly to the Jedi Temple, not with the speeders following him at least. He activated the communicator built into the bike, "T3, I need you and HK to do something for me," he outlined his plan to the droid as he dodged blaster fire.  
  
Revan continued to jink through the streets of Coruscant until he turned the swoop and headed through a long tunnel. When he emerged from the other side he saw the two speeders blocking his path. Revan slowed to a stop and stared at the speeders.  
  
"Shut down your engine," a voice from one of the speeders announced. "You are under arrest." In response Revan raced the engine of the swoop. "If you do not comply we will fire on you."  
  
Revan jammed the accelerator wide open and raced towards the speeders. The speeders opened fire, but their shots fell long. At the last possible moment Revan pulled up on the controls and the swoop shot over the speeders, clearing them with millimeters to spare.  
  
"T3, how's it going?" Revan asked.  
  
"Statement: T3 and I are in position." HK replied. "Commentary: We await your arrival master."  
  
"I'm on my way," Revan applied more thrust and raced towards another tunnel. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the two speeders pull up and head for the other end of the tunnel in an attempt to cut him off again, exactly like Revan wanted.  
  
The swoop bike tore into the tunnel at full speed. Revan had to stand on the brakes when a flatbed cargo speeder loomed into view. He threw the bike into a power slide to bleed off more speed. The bike turned 180 degrees and slid up the cargo ramp. It came to a stop in the middle of the cargo bed nestled in between a pair of shipping containers.  
  
Revan leapt off the bike and tossed a tarp over the swoop. "Nice work T3," Revan called out to the droid sitting in the speeder's cab. "You too HK. Did you have any problem getting this?"  
  
"Negative: No master, T3 was able to hotwire this speeder without any difficulties, sad as that is."  
  
Revan threw a cloak over his armor. There wasn't much time until the speeders realized he'd tricked them. "Get back to the Hawk, I'll meet you there." T3 chirped in reply and started up the cargo hauler. Revan hopped off the flatbed and walked off in the opposite direction. He slouched down and added a limp to his step. As he was exiting the tunnel the two speeders swept past him heading the other way. Revan chuckled to himself and struck off towards the Jedi Temple.  
  
Palpatine watched as worker droids repaired the damage Revan inflicted on his office. The communicator on his desk chirped that it had received a new message. Palpatine glanced down and saw that it was from Dooku. His apprentice had responded to his summons and was waiting for him in their usual meeting spot.  
  
Palpatine ducked out of the office through a hidden door that lead to a private hangar bay. He entered an enclosed speeder with darkened windows and flew off to the hidden Sith headquarters. On the way there he pulled on his Sith robes.  
  
Dooku was waiting for Palpatine in the small hangar bay. "Thank-you for responding so quickly to my summons," Palpatine said to Dooku. He started to walk down the hangar bay, Dooku fell into step beside him. "I was visited by Master Delwynn tonight," Palpatine said.  
  
Dooku raised his eyebrows, "What did he want?"  
  
"It seems Master Delwynn knows the identity of the Dark Lord of the Sith," Palpatine said conversationally. "He came to me with his concerns."  
  
"How convenient," Dooku commented. "And just who does Master Delwynn think the Dark Lord is?"  
  
"Chancellor Palpatine," Palpatine said.  
  
Dooku stopped in shock. "Did you take care of him?"  
  
Palpatine continued to walk, "I also learned something interesting about Master Delwynn. His name is not Aarn Delwynn."  
  
Dooku hurried to catch up with Palpatine, "What is it then?"  
  
Palpatine stopped and faced Dooku, "Revan."  
  
"Revan, should that name mean anything...you don't mean the Revan do you?"  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"But that's impossible..." Dooku paused. "No, obviously it's not. l assume there was a hyperspace accident or something similar. That would explain how Captain Brecktan found him."  
  
"Your insights serve you well my apprentice," Palpatine said. "But you do of course realize who you let slip through your grasp?"  
  
"Bastila Shan?" Dooku asked, only slightly less incredulously than before.  
  
"That's right, everything you need to supplant me as the Dark Lord was there for the taking, and you couldn't hold on to it," Palpatine taunted Dooku. He knew that would anger his apprentice. In fact he was counting on it. Dooku was far more cunning than Darth Maul, but he lacked Maul's tremendous capacity for anger. So long as Dooku clung to his dispassionate Jedi training he would never be worthy to challenge Palpatine. What Palpatine desired above all else was an apprentice with Dooku's cunning and Maul's anger. If he could not tap Dooku's anger then Palpatine would just have to find a new apprentice.  
  
"How will you be dealing with this new threat my lord?" Dooku asked. "Bastila and Revan pose a serious threat to your plans. Any army with the two of them at its head would be invincible."  
  
"Do not worry my apprentice. I have a plan that will neutralize Revan. I know his weakness."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"If you'd remember your history better the answer would be apparent," Palpatine chided. "Get me a bounty hunter, preferably an Iridorian. I want to see if we can get Darth Revan to come out and play." Palpatine chuckled to himself as he and Dooku exited the hangar.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
Author's Notes: Hear that sound, it's the plot ratcheting up as things draw to a close, only five chapters left -- thank goodness. My apologies for the tardiness of this chapter, but I got Doom3 and those zombies aren't going to shoot themselves in the head.  



	15. Chapter 15

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: A hyperspace accident throws Bastila and Revan into a galaxy of intrigue. Whatever happend to happily ever after?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Fifteen  
  
Bastila sat on the edge of her bed and stared out her window as dawn crept up over the Coruscant skyline. She had been unable to sleep all night, her thoughts had been too consumed with worry over Revan out on his misadventure. The Force bond told her that he was in some sort of danger. She knew he probably wouldn't come to much physical harm, but the possible damage to his soul was another matter.  
  
"It's so typical of him," she fumed to herself. "He might be the greatest military mind of his generation, but he still lacks caution." Revan's problem was that there was no challenge too great for him. His whole life could be chronicled by the impossible odds he faced and overcame. First there was the Mandalorian War, followed by his initial search for the Star Forge, his survival of Malak's betrayal, and the defeat of Malak at the Star Forge. No matter how long the odds Revan would tackle a problem with the expectation that he could solve it. It was cliché to say it, but Revan's greatest strength was also his greatest weakness. The problem was not that Revan acted impulsively, even his most spontaneous decisions had contingency plans for its contingency plans -- but Revan was human and no one could account for every possible outcome. However, Revan sometimes failed to acknowledge this. It was because of Revan's surety that caused his fall to the Dark Side. He thought he could fight the Mandalorians on their own terms and escape unscathed. However with each battle he lost a little bit of his soul, and by the time he realized what he had lost he was past caring.  
  
Now Revan was committed to stopping the Sith. Bastila could understand Revan's zeal, he was trying to atone for the sins of his old self. However, something seemed out of place to Bastila She could not help but think that some terrible truth was just at the edge of her understanding. The vision she had on Rakata only reinforced that feeling in her. Revan had charged headlong into a delicate situation -- if there was one thing that had remained a constant from Bastila's time to the present it was that galactic politics were never straight forward -- without a care for anything but stopping the Sith. She hoped that whatever was being hidden from them would not catch Revan in a vulnerable position.  
  
That thought lead her down even more unpleasant avenues. What if Revan was consumed by this quest? If Revan did fall back to the Dark Side would she have the strength to defeat him? She knew that the return of Darth Revan would spell disaster for the rest of the galaxy. Bastila remembered how cunning and ruthless Revan had been in his conquest of the Republic. A force of darkness like that would scythe through the Republic in its current disorganized state.  
  
If Revan did fall Bastila knew that she would have to face him. Master Yoda and the rest of the Council were strong, but they had never directly a Sith Lord, not like Bastila had. "But could I do it again?" She asked herself. The first time she'd faced Darth Revan she had not known the man behind the mask. If Revan fell again she would not be facing down Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith, but Revan, the man she loved.  
  
"How he found the strength to battle me on the Star Forge I'll never know," she said to herself. The concept of duty was one that was heavily ingrained in Bastila, and she knew that duty demanded she oppose Revan if he fell, but even so her heart rebelled at the thought of having to face Revan in combat.  
  
"But Revan did fight me," Bastila thought then paused, "No, he fought for me. It wasn't me he was fighting, but the Dark Side that controlled me. He saw past the darkness that had consumed me and was able to find the kernel of light that lay buried in my soul." She straightened her shoulders and stared at the rising sun. "If the unthinkable does happen, if he does fall to the Dark Side I owe it to him to do the same because the Dark Side can never totally consume a person. If there is anything Revan has proven to me it is that." Even as she spoke though doubt crept through her mind. Darth Revan would undoubtedly try to bring her back to the Dark Side. Would she have the strength to resist him?  
  
Angry with herself she tamped down her doubts, "Revan will find a way to win, just like he always does, and we can then find some quiet place to live without the Sith or the Jedi to bother us." However, the words sounded hollow to her. "After all," she thought "I said the same thing following the destruction of the Star Forge and so far that wish has failed to come to pass."  
  
Through their bond Bastila felt Revan relax. She knew that he was out of whatever danger he had been in. Secure in the knowledge that Revan would soon be back she finally managed to clear her mind and descended into a meditative trance.  
  
Revan walked into the Jedi Temple with his make-shift cloak still thrown over his armor. He looked around to see if anyone he knew was in the main atrium of the large building. He did not want to try to explain what he had been up to.  
  
"Adventures have you tonight?" Yoda asked Revan from the shadows. Revan spun around and saw the diminutive green Jedi floating towards him on a small hover chair.  
  
"Master Yoda," Revan said with a bow. "I was just out for a bit of fresh air.  
  
Yoda wrinkled his nose, "Some walk, smell like blasters you do."  
  
Revan debated telling Yoda what he knew, he decided it was better to be upfront with the Jed Master, "Master Yoda, there's something I need to tell you..."  
  
Yoda held up a clawed hand, "Much to discuss we have, but not here. Follow me you should." Yoda turned his hover chair around and floated off down the hall. Revan followed Yoda to his personal quarters. "Shielded these rooms are," Yoda said as he hopped off his hover chair and walked over to a large cushion in the corner of the room. "Come sit," Yoda motioned for Revan to sit down on a low-slung couch.  
  
Revan sat down on the couch. "Master Yoda, first let me say how grateful I am for the way you have treated Bastila and I while we've been here..."  
  
"Nonsense, redeemed you both were. Treat you like any other Jedi we have."  
  
"Still, it's more than I expected, and that's what makes this so hard." Revan knew he had to tell Yoda what he knew, but without any hard proof he had no idea how he was going to make the Jedi Master believe him.  
  
Yoda sighed, "Discovered the identity of the Sith Lord you have. Worried you are how I will take the news that it is Palpatine."  
  
Revan blinked in surprise, "Well yes..." he paused as Yoda's statement fully sunk in. "You know?"  
  
"Of course I know," Yoda harrumphed. "Jedi Master am I not?"  
  
Revan's mind whirled at Yoda's revelation. "How long have you known." He finally asked.  
  
Yoda's ears sagged. "For a long time, but not nearly long enough," Yoda said. "Since Naboo have we known for certain."  
  
"And why haven't you revealed who he is to the Senate?"  
  
"Already the Chancellor Palpatine was when we learned. To challenge him now, tear apart the Republic it would."  
  
"But you can't let him remain Chancellor, he's destroying the Republic from the inside out!" Revan exclaimed.  
  
Yoda sighed, "Hastening the fall yes, but crumbling the Republic already was."  
  
"Oh, well that makes all the difference," Revan said sarcastically.  
  
"Listen first to what I have to say then judge you should," Yoda said sharply.  
  
"I'm sorry Master Yoda, please tell me everything," Revan said in a voice that hardly sounded mollified.  
  
"Long has the Republic enjoyed peace and prosperity," Yoda said. "Too long perhaps. Complacent people grow. More concerned with their profits than the Republic they are. Corruption this lead to. Corruption Palpatine used in his ascension."  
  
"I figured that much out," Revan snapped. "I understand your reluctance to move against Palpatine, it would not be easy to unseat him and cause tremendous turmoil in the Republic. What I don't understand is how he got where he is without you finding out his true identity, and why you are so reluctant to do anything about it."  
  
"Two reasons there are, both intertwined around one fact. Failing the Force is. Feel the taint can you not?"  
  
Revan nodded his head, "Ever since I arrived."  
  
"Long have the Sith been poisoning the Force." Yoda sighed, "Though as much to blame the Jedi are. Complacent we grew along with the galaxy. Too sure in our abilities we were. Blind we are to Palpatine's machinations."  
  
Revan digested what Yoda said. "You said there were two reasons, what is the second?"  
  
"Prophecy," Yoda replied.  
  
"Prophecy is a dangerous game," Revan warned. "It rarely tells the full story."  
  
"Lecturing me on the dangers of prophecy are you?" Yoda asked. He arched an eyebrow to emphasize his point. "Know well I do the risks there are in prophecy. In motion the future is, but always the same my visions are. Great darkness the galaxy is headed for."  
  
"Yes, I saw that, and it's because of Palpatine," Revan interjected.  
  
"No, if Palpatine is removed worse the result is," Yoda replied. "Listened have you not? Dying is the Republic. Soon it will crumble. Without a cause to rally around, splinter and fragment will the Republic. Great the chaos will be. Many hundreds of years it will take for order to be restored."  
  
"And I suppose if you allow Palpatine to conquer the galaxy that will give people something more substantive to rally against?" Revan guessed.  
  
"Clever you are," Yoda said.  
  
"Are you sure it's worth millions, if not billions, of lives to teach the galaxy a civics lesson?" Revan asked tartly.  
  
"A galaxy without Jedi the alternative is!" Yoda said brusquely. "Failing is the Order. Fewer Jedi there are, weaker too. Too long have we continued, unchanged, stagnant. Paying the price for our pride we are."  
  
"I never thought I would hear a Jedi Master sound so defeatist," Revan said accusingly.  
  
"Defeatist? Perhaps, but what would you do differently?"  
  
Revan stood up and began to pace. "Something, anything, I certainly wouldn't be hiding in this temple waiting for the axe to fall."  
  
"Hiding? Think you that what we're doing?"  
  
"I don't see anything that suggests otherwise," Revan shot back.  
  
"Lack vision you do," Yoda huffed, "Always this was your problem. Already guaranteed Palpatine's defeat is. Met already the Jedi who will do so you have."  
  
Revan thought for a moment. He knew Yoda was not referring to himself, likewise Master Windu was too obvious a choice, and Obi-Wan was simply not strong enough to challenge Palpatine. "It's that boy with the anger problem, Anakin, isn't it? He's the only Jedi I've met with the potential strength to beat Palpatine."  
  
Yoda nodded, "Strong and wise the Jedi of your time were. Serves you well your insight does, make clear much that we try to hide."  
  
"And I see that the Jedi Council of this time is just as manipulative as they were in mine," Revan said with disdain. "Why are you placing so much on the shoulders of one boy?"  
  
"Special he is," Yoda said. "Named by prophecy, yes. Chosen One he is, restore balance to the Force he will. To answer your next question, know not his special destiny Anakin does. Arrive at it on his own terms he will. Some mistakes, repeat we will not."  
  
"You are still asking a lot from him whether or not he knows it."  
  
"Such is the duty of all Jedi," Yoda countered. "Sorely tested he will be, but in the end do what is right he will."  
  
"You sound awfully confident in your vision of the future," Revan commented.  
  
"Think I am wrong are you?"  
  
Revan stopped pacing, "I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing here if it's not to stop Palpatine?"  
  
"Claim the Force sent you to defeat Palpatine then?" Yoda asked.  
  
"Who said anything about the Force? I'm here and the reason why doesn't really matter because I'm going to do what I think is right. A galaxy ruled by the Sith is an evil to be avoided at all costs."  
  
"Even if greater evil your actions cause?"  
  
"How certain are you that this greater evil will happen?" Revan shot back. "It could be a vision from the Dark Side to cloud your mind."  
  
"Can be said the same of your vision. Based on assumptions your argument is."  
  
"It's not an assumption that the Sith are evil!" Revan snapped.  
  
"Appreciate the whole picture once again you do not. Perhaps the reason you are here this is."  
  
"And what's that? To sit on my hands and watch billions die. Even if it's a doomed attempt I'd rather go out doing something than running away."  
  
"Fighting the tide a Jedi does not," Yoda intoned. "Float with the current a Jedi should."  
  
"This current has a nasty riptide," Revan said darkly. "One that's looking to wipe the Jedi from the face of the galaxy. Trust me, the Sith will gladly burn an entire planet to kill a single Jedi."  
  
"Aware of the Sith's hatred of Jedi I am," Yoda replied. "Lecture me not on their past sins."  
  
"Then don't you think it will arouse Palpatine's suspicions when the entire Order goes into hiding to avoid the inevitable purges?" Revan paused. "That's not going to happen is it?"  
  
For the first time in their conversation Yoda looked shamefaced. "Search for a few scraps less inclined Palpatine will be if slaughtered he thinks the Order is. Many will die yes, but in vain their sacrifices will not be."  
  
Revan could appreciate the logic behind Yoda's plan, but he still found it distasteful, "That sounds like something my former self would say," he told Yoda. "How did you get the Council to agree to such a thing?"  
  
Yoda's ears fell, "Knows not the Council does," he admitted with a sigh.  
  
"You decided to allow the entire Jedi Order to be wiped out on your own?" Revan could not believe what he was hearing. Once again the hubris of a Jedi Master was endangering the galaxy.  
  
"Consulted with Master Windu I did. Agree with me he does. So would the rest of the Council if they knew. Easier that they do not."  
  
"And what happens when I go to the Council and tell them about you and Master Windu's private agenda?" Revan threatened.  
  
"Unfortunate that would be, bring about the Dark Times you would. Know this, out of balance the Force is. If not restored, jeopardized will be our ability to reach the Force."  
  
"I don't see how allowing Palpatine to destroy the galaxy would correct that, unless you think the Order needs to be destroyed in order to save it."  
  
"Restoring balance and defeating the Sith the priorities are. Without one the other cannot happen. Linked the Sith are with the taint. Sometimes lose the battle to win the war you must." Yoda said defensively. "Familiar with this strategy you are yes?"  
  
"I was a different person then," Revan said defensively. "Besides isn't it a little hypocritical to criticize the decisions that lead to my former strategies and then use those same strategies to justify your actions?"  
  
"Do not think lightly made this decision was," Yoda snapped.  
  
"I'm not, but perhaps you need a fresh set of eyes to evaluate the situation. If you stare at a problem for too long you can sometimes become focused on one possible solution to the exclusion of all others."  
  
"Yes, very true that is. The reason why I asked Master Windu in fact. Agreed with me he did, though happy with himself he is not."  
  
Revan frowned, "There's something you're not telling me about this. It can't be as straight forward as a single Sith Lord poisoning the Force in an attempt to take over the galaxy."  
  
"Yes, yes, powerful forces at work, powerful. Trust in the Force you should, good will in the end prevail."  
  
"That's taking more on faith than I'm accustomed to," Revan said.  
  
"Jedi of action you are indeed, a rare thing these days I think. Too few Jedi like you now," Yoda mused to himself mostly. "Too little too late. Sooner perhaps a change was possible, but now on the path firmly we are."  
  
"The path?" Revan asked.  
  
"Hmm? Yes the path, the chain of events that lead to Palpatine's ascendancy. Seen them I have. Known them for years, even before Palpatine was born. Did what I could to sabotage the Sith master plan. Cast now the dice are, see where they now fall remains."  
  
"I refuse to accept that," Revan said. "There has to be something I can do to prevent this from happening."  
  
"Prevent Palpatine from conquering the galaxy yes, you can do that. Repair the damage to the Force? Only the Chosen One can do that."  
  
"I'm strong in the Force, tell me what needs to be done and I'll do it."  
  
Yoda intently stared at Revan, "You would, without knowing the cost you would." He shook his head. "Made of legends you are," Yoda muttered to himself. "But no, closed to you that path is, as it is for me. Wish it were not so I do, but that is the way of the Force. Any action you make now, strengthen Palpatine's position it will." To emphasis his point Yoda turned on the holo-emitter in the room.  
  
A newscast sprung to life "...And to repeat our top story. Chancellor Palpatine narrowly escaped an assassination attempt last night. Details are still sketchy but sources inside the Chancellor's office claim it to be the work of the Separatist Movement. If true it would mark a shift in tactics of the radical fringe movement agitating for secession from the Republic..." Yoda switched off the program and looked at Revan.  
  
"You were the assassin they are talking about. Aided Palpatine's designs you have. Now more sympathy in the Republic he has, sympathy he can use to tighten his grip on the Republic."  
  
"He's shrewd," Revan admitted. "But this is more for my benefit than his. If he wanted he could make me the most wanted man in the galaxy, but he's not. That's going to change when he realizes I won't turn to the Dark Side."  
  
Yoda nodded, "Fear you I think Palpatine does. Will not stop until one of you is dead."  
  
Revan fixed his gaze at Yoda, "That is what I was hoping for." Before Yoda could reply Revan felt a surge of emotion from Bastila. Revan leapt to his feet without even realizing it.  
  
"Danger you sense?" Yoda asked.  
  
"It's Bastila," Revan replied. He rushed out the door with Yoda close behind him on his hover chair.  
  
Revan tore through the Temple ignoring the disapproving looks cast his way as he sped past Jedi. Intellectually he knew that Bastila was fine. Neither Palpatine or his apprentice were powerful enough to openly attack the Temple and Bastila could handle herself against anyone else. However, after the events of the past few days Revan was not in the mood to take any chances. Revan burst through the door to Bastila's room, his lightsaber at the ready.  
  
Bastila was standing over a headless corpse dressed in full body armor. Her lightsaber was out, but not activated. "He was an Iridorian I think," Bastila said without preamble. "The markings on the armor are the giveaway. I wanted to take him prisoner, to find out who sent him, but the bloodlust had already taken hold of him and there was no way I could restrain him." Without saying a word Revan walked over to Bastila and wrapped his arms around her. "Revan, I hardly think this is the time or place."  
  
"No," Revan said, "It's always the time and place."  
  
Bastila pulled away from Revan, there was something about his tone of voice that she did not like. "What happened at the Chancellor's palace?"  
  
"Oh no, I'm not the one standing over a dead body, you go first."  
  
Bastila shrugged, "I woke up and found him standing over me with a vibroblade. You can see what happened next."  
  
"Sent by the Sith he was," Yoda said as he entered the room. "Glad I am you are unharmed Bastila Shan."  
  
Revan slipped an arm around Bastila's waist and pulled her closer to him. She could feel the apprehension rolling off of Revan in waves. Bastila wondered what had caused this reaction to the kindly little Jedi Master. "I'm glad as well Master Yoda. It seems Temple security has gotten quite a bit laxer than I recall."  
  
Yoda bowed his head, "Disturbed I am by this incident. Speak with the head of security I will immediately. Leave you two alone now, much you have to discuss I'm sure." The ancient Jedi floated out of the room chuckling to himself.  
  
Bastila turned and faced Revan, "What did that mean? What happened Revan?" She asked in a threatening tone.  
  
In the lair of Darth Sidious Count Dooku approached his dark master. "My lord, I have news about the Iridorian. He was not successful in his attempt."  
  
"I did not think he would be," Sidious said. "Nor was it my intent that he be successful. These two are not like any Jedi you've ever encountered. They come from an age of legends, to underestimate their strength is folly."  
  
"I do not like playing games like this with enemies this dangerous," Dooku said. "We should crush them now before they become more powerful."  
  
"Yes, they could be quite the formidable pair," Palpatine agreed. "Give them even the smallest fleet and they could smash the Republic. It's an intriguing thought is it not?"  
  
"But wouldn't they end up challenging us for supremacy of the Sith?" Dooku asked.  
  
"If they were somehow able to best us then they deserve the title Sith," Palpatine replied. "That is the Sith Way after all, and you would be wise to remember that Tyrannus."  
  
Dooku bowed his head, "Yes master. All the same, are you sure this is wise? Revan will reveal your identify to the Council."  
  
"He's welcome to do so, the Council won't believe him."  
  
"Then I presume you're planning to discredit Revan in the eyes of the Council?" Dooku asked.  
  
"Your deviousness is a credit to you," Palpatine replied. "I think we should release pictures of my would be assassin, and leak to the press papers linking an unidentified Jedi Master to the Separatist movement."  
  
"And it wouldn't even be a lie," Dooku said with a chuckle.  
  
"The best lies are those built on a kernel of truth," Palpatine declared.  
  
"I understand now master, you intend to cut Revan off from all his means of support, back him into a corner and force him to confront you directly. A very sound plan, but Revan is a master strategist, what if he sees through your plot? For that matter are you sure Yoda will be fooled by your dissembling? He is the wisest of the Council and he can see much that is hidden."  
  
"Do not fret my apprentice," Palpatine said dismissively. "Revan and Bastila will come to us. I have foreseen it," he finished confidently.  
  
Dooku shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He always felt disquieted whenever Sidious prophesized. Divination was an inexact art at best and prone to error. He remembered admonishing a great many Padawans of that fact after they first gazed into the future while he was still with the Order.  
  
His recollections of his time as a Jedi caused even more unrest within Dooku. He was certain that leaving the Order he had dedicated so much of his life to was the correct decision, but it still had been a hard decision to make. However he was certain that the Republic was failing and that the galaxy needed order and stability. The darkness that haunted his dreams for years told him so, there was a tremendous danger waiting out there beyond the edge of the galaxe. The survival of the galaxy demanded strong leadership, the sort that the Republic and the Jedi were unable to provide. Comforted in the surety of his decision once again Dooku refocused his attention on his master.  
  
"Yes, Revan will come to me," Palpatine said, not noticing Dooku's introspection. "He will come to me and either be defeated or fall to the Dark Side. Either way he will cease to be a threat to our plans. I think it is time that Count Dooku lets slip Aarn Delwynn's sympathies towards the Separatists." Dooku bowed and strode out of the chamber, leaving Palpatine behind to mull over his dark visions.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
Author's Notes: oooo, wasn't that a juicy twist? A bit over the top? Maybe, but it does explain how Palpatine hoodwinks the Council, and it gives the Jedi Order a bit of a Bene Gesserit/Aes Sedai feel, only with little green aliens who talk funny. At least that's the goal, whether or not it's successful is left up to the reader. Also, Yoda remains a bitch to write, this chapter was my own private hell. Chapter 16 is already underway, only four more chapters until I can work on something new. Thanks for reading and reviewing.  
  
-sam  



	16. Chapter 16

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: A hyperspace accident throws Bastila and Revan into a galaxy of intrigue. Whatever happend to happily ever after?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Sixteen  
  
Revan stepped over the headless corpse and sat on the bed. "I managed to break into Palpatine's office, and found him waiting for me. He knew who I was."  
  
Bastila raised her eyebrows, "What did you do?"  
  
"Tried to bring him back to the light, I had to make the effort."  
  
Bastila nodded her understanding, they were both proof that anyone could turn away from the Dark Side. "Let me guess, he said no and you made some sort of dramatic exit?"  
  
"I jumped out a window," Revan admitted.  
  
"Of course you did," Bastila said, her exasperation showing through. "Heaven forbid you do something sensible, like not going there in the first place!"  
  
"But at least now we know for sure who Palpatine really is, and I got away unharmed, so everything came out more or less ok."  
  
"Does this look ok to you?" Bastila demanded as she pointed at the headless corpse at their feet. "Revan, he knows who we are now, and where to find us."  
  
"And we know the same about him, but we have the advantage."  
  
"How do you figure that?"  
  
"Who cares if he announces who we really are to the rest of the galaxy. I never wanted to hide that anyway."  
  
"You know as well as I that isn't what he has in mind."  
  
Revan sighed, "I know, he'll move to discredit me so the Council thinks I'm not to be trusted and will ignore me if I unmask Palpatine. Not that it matters," he added bitterly.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Bastila asked.  
  
Revan glanced around the room. "Not here, let's talk on the Hawk."  
  
Bastila looked at Revan in disbelief, but followed him out of the room and down to the landing pad where the Ebon Hawk sat. "For the last time Revan," Bastila demanded as soon as they were aboard the ship. "What the bloody hell is going on?"  
  
"When I got back from my 'meeting' with Palpatine Master Yoda was waiting for me. We had an, interesting conversation." Revan paused. "He knows Bastila, he knows who Palpatine is."  
  
"What?" Bastila asked in disbelief.  
  
"Yoda knows that Palpatine is the Sith Lord, he has for years. He's even counting on a Sith takeover of the Republic."  
  
Bastila felt her knees weaken and she sunk down into one of the sofas in the Hawk's lounge. "But...why did he send you to find the Sith if he already knew?"  
  
"They had to do something with us, we were asking about the Sith. Sending me off on a wild goose chase across the galaxy was their way of getting rid of me."  
  
"He's not Sith, is he?" Bastila couldn't imagine the kindly green Jedi being a servant of the Dark Side, but she felt compelled to ask.  
  
Revan shook his head, "No, he's not Sith, he serves the light, well technically at any rate."  
  
"Then...why?" Bastila's question was simple, but it was the only way she could vocalize the confusion that swirled in her.  
  
Revan threw up his hands in disgust, "There's something about a prophecy, tainted Force, averting a millennia of chaos, and a 'Chosen One.' I don't know, it all sounded like rationalizations to me." Revan slumped down on the couch next to Bastila.  
  
Bastila took a deep breath. This was the missing piece of the puzzle that had troubled her mind. It still did not answer why a Jedi Master would allow the Sith to conquer the galaxy, but a few things were now more clear in Bastila's mind. "We must approach this rationally. Yoda is a Jedi Master, he wouldn't take this course of action without good reason."  
  
"He doesn't understand the true nature of the Sith," Revan said with disgust in his voice. "He really thinks the chaos of a shattered Republic is worse than a Sith-controlled galaxy. He's never seen the Sith burn a world because it amuses them. The callus disregard for life. The butcher's bill of a new Sith Empire will be beyond imagination."  
  
Bastila felt her heart clench, everything Revan said she knew to be true and then some. Revan could only remember witnessing the destruction of Taris, for Bastila it was much worse. She could remember the depravations of the Sith with a vividness that Revan's forged memories could not provide. Bastila understood Revan's position, and even agreed with it, but she still held a great deal of respect for anyone with the title Jedi Master, and she could not dismiss Yoda's actions as cavalierly as Revan. "Isn't there a chance that what Yoda says is true?" Bastila asked. "There is a great deal that we do not know after all."  
  
"I just can't sit idly by when there's a chance I can prevent this terrible thing from happening." Revan held up a hand. "I know, I said the same thing when the Council didn't immediately intervene in the Mandalorian War. This is different, I'm different. I fought Malak in the heart of the Star Forge and turned my back on the power it offered. You don't have to worry about me falling to the Dark Side."  
  
"Alert: Jedi Master Mace Windu is approaching the ship," HK called out from the cockpit. "Query: Shall I blast him before he gets any closer?"  
  
"Negative HK," Revan replied. "Open the boarding ramp."  
  
"I wonder what he wants?" Bastila asked rhetorically.  
  
"I've got a pretty good guess," Revan said grimly. He stood up and walked over to the boarding ramp. "Welcome aboard Master Windu," Revan told Windu. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"Why don't you take me for a ride in this magnificent rust bucket," Windu replied.  
  
"Any place in particular?"  
  
"Just a quick hyperspace jump will do," Windu instructed Revan. "Anywhere out of the way and free from prying eyes."  
  
Revan nodded, "I'll see what I can do. We'll take off immediately." Revan walked through the lounge and past Bastila on his way to the cockpit.  
  
"Revan, what does he want?" Bastila asked.  
  
"I'm here for a joyride," Windu said as he walked into the lounge. The ship lurched as Revan powered up the engines. "Sometimes it's useful to get away from the bustle of Coruscant, reduces the chances of being distracted."  
  
"We're about to make the jump to light speed," Revan said over the shipboard com. "If you haven't strapped in yet I suggest you do so now."  
  
Bastila and Windu were barely in their seats before the ship shuddered as it made the transition to hyperspace. Revan walked into the lounge from the cockpit as the two Jedi were unstrapping themselves. "We're headed for a small, uninhabited system," Revan said. "When we get there we'll make another jump, just to be sure nobody followed us. Now what's this all about?"  
  
"Yoda told you the truth, or at least part of it," Windu said with preamble. "That's not something to be discussed lightly on Coruscant. I thought we might take a little trip and I could clarify a few things for you. Yoda enjoys being obtuse."  
  
"Yoda told you about our conversation?" Revan asked.  
  
Windu nodded, "He told me he was going to. He knew what you saw in the Council Chamber yesterday, and he decided you needed to know why you cannot oppose Palpatine."  
  
"How could he have known that?" Revan wondered.  
  
"Yoda is stronger and wiser than you can imagine," Windu explained. "There isn't much that escapes his gaze."  
  
"Except for Palpatine," Bastila stated.  
  
"To an extent," Windu conceded. "However, it also serves Yoda's aims to let Palpatine stay where he is."  
  
"What exactly are those aims?"  
  
"Restoring balance to the Force and keeping the galaxy from spinning into total chaos," Windu replied.  
  
"I don't understand," Bastila said. "What do you mean by restoring balance to the Force?"  
  
"It has to do with the intrinsic nature of the Force and how the Jedi and the Sith view it," Windu replied. "Think of the Force as a single continuum, with the Light and the Dark occupying opposing sides. Now as you know the Dark Side encompasses all of the negative emotions in life, anger, hate, and so on. Naturally then, it follows that the Light is embodied by the opposite of those emotions."  
  
"But that's not what the Jedi Code says," Revan interjected. "There is no emotion," he quoted.  
  
"Correct, and that is at the crux of the dilemma the order now faces."  
  
"It's the culmination of four thousand years of denying that most species are emotional creatures," Revan said bitterly.  
  
"The Order never denied that people are emotional," Windu replied calmly. "However, miscalculations were made. We have not embraced the emotions that exemplify the Light Side the way the Sith have embraced the primordial emotions of the Dark Side."  
  
"And this is how the Force is unbalanced?" Bastila asked. "Because the Force doesn't feel all that different to me."  
  
"But you can feel the taint, correct?" Windu replied. Bastila nodded. "You can feel that because the Sith are growing stronger as the Jedi grow weaker."  
  
"I think I understand," Bastila concluded after a moment's thought. "The Sith are currently stronger than the Jedi--even though they are numerically inferior to the Jedi -- because they better understand the nature of the Dark Side."  
  
"Essentially yes," Windu agreed.  
  
"So what do we do about it?" Revan asked.  
  
"Anything you could do Yoda has spent the past five hundred years doing," Windu told Revan.  
  
"He hasn't tried everything," Revan countered. "He hasn't directly confronted Palpatine."  
  
"That time might still come," Windu allowed. "However there is only one person with the strength to defeat the Sith Lord and that person is Anakin Skywalker."  
  
"This isn't a question of strength," Revan said. ''Palpatine is strong, but he's not remarkably so. You are more than his match Master Windu. Why does it have to be Anakin?"  
  
Windu shook his head, "It's not my place to say. I know that's not the answer you were looking for. I also know that nothing I can tell you will change your mind. However, I think Bastila might. Did you tell him about Rakata?"  
  
Revan looked over at Bastila. "What about Rakata?"  
  
"How do you know about that?" Bastila asked Windu in amazement.  
  
"I don't know the specifics, but that was where we hoped you would go."  
  
"So the story about the Star Map on Kashyyyk?"  
  
"Was true, and your help was greatly appreciated. It also had the added benefit of inducing you to visit Rakata. Master Yoda and myself both knew that you had to make that trip."  
  
"What about Rakata?" Revan insisted.  
  
"I went to Rakata with the droids," Bastila explained. "The Rakatans...they're extinct. They wiped themselves out. I visited the Temple of the Ancients, and there I had a vision, well it was more than a vision really."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
myself, I think. I faced the darkness within myself that remained from my time as a Sith, and before," She admitted.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Revan asked Bastila.  
  
Bastila shrugged. "I would have eventually, but it was an intensely personal experience and I still needed time to sort it all out. However, before the vision ended I was given a warning. There is a storm coming Revan, and if you are not careful you will fall to the Dark Side again. That is why I wanted to you to delay confronting Palpatine, and that is why I think you have to listen to what the Council has to say. I don't want to see you fall to the Dark Side."  
  
"You don't think I can defeat Palpatine?" Revan asked.  
  
"It's not if I don't think you can, because I know you can," Bastila replied. "It's that I don't know if the cost will be worth it."  
  
"I would have thought you would understand why we have to stop Palpatine now," Revan said defensively.  
  
"Don't play that card with me Revan," Bastila said sharply. "There are other ways to stymie Palpatine. We could form a true resistance movement, and sap Palpatine's strength that way."  
  
"Even if you do nothing you are a thorn in Palpatine's side," Windu added. "He will never be certain just when you will emerge to challenge him for supremacy of the Galaxy. That seed of doubt in his mind very well could be the edge we need to defeat him in the coming years."  
  
"Hiding will hardly get the job done," Revan protested.  
  
"I'm surprised at you Revan," Windu said. "I would have thought that someone with your alleged strategic ability would be able to see what the real problem is."  
  
''Oh, what's that?"  
  
"The state of the Force. We're standing on the knife's edge, and if balance is not restored the consequences will be dire."  
  
"I would have thought that destroying the Sith would restore the balance," Bastila said.  
  
"The imbalance is not the work of the Sith, not totally at least. Stopping the Sith will do nothing to repair the damage the Jedi have inflicted on the Force."  
  
"So all the Jedi must die because the Council screwed up?" Revan shouted.  
  
"The Jedi must what?" This time it was Bastila who was in the dark.  
  
"One of the first things Palpatine will do when he consolidates his power is attempt to eliminate the Jedi Order, and Master Windu is willing to allow it to happen."  
  
"And just who do you think Palpatine will take special care to destroy?" Windu asked pointedly. "Following this path will cost me more than you know."  
  
"Then don't follow it," Revan said. "Take the fight to him."  
  
"And you think I won't? When the time comes I will fight the Sith with every fiber of my body. I do not expect to survive the encounter, but if I do then I won't complain."  
  
Silence fell over the room as the all digested what Windu said, and its implications. Bastila stirred uncomfortably in her seat. She did not like the morbid tone the conversation had taken. "Well, I think it's fairly obvious that we're at an impasse. The question now is where do we go from here?"  
  
"That is entirely up to Revan," Windu said.  
  
"If you're looking for some assurance that I won't move against Palpatine you're not going to get it," Revan told Windu.  
  
"What about you?" Windu asked Bastila. "Do you believe that we need to strike quickly, or will you place your trust in the Force."  
  
Bastila looked between Revan and Windu before speaking. "I am not as certain as Revan, but I stand by him. We have come so far together that I can hardly do otherwise."  
  
Windu nodded, "If that is your decision then we will all have to live with the consequences. I won't try to stop you.''  
  
"Anymore than you already have you mean," Revan pointed out.  
  
"True enough," Windu admitted. "What I meant to say was that neither Yoda or I will do anything more than try to talk you out of this." Windu paused. "Personally I hope you do manage to pull this off. I'd rather not see the Sith conquer the galaxy."  
  
"I'll try not to let you down. Can you at least tell me one thing. Why Anakin? I know it's not your place to tell me everything, but what can you tell me?"  
  
"What I can say is that Anakin is the result of a not-quite eugenics program of Yoda's. Over the years he has kept various Force-sensitives from joining the Order and made certain that they had children."  
  
"The result of which is potentially an incredibly strong Jedi," Revan concluded. "In theory at least."  
  
"Anakin lives so we've obviously moved past theory," Bastila commented. "What I want to know is how will Anakin defeat Palpatine."  
  
Windu smiled coyly. "I'd think the two of you would know how better than anyone else." Windu stood up and waked towards the starboard crew quarters. "Now what do you have to eat on this garbage scow?"  
  
Bastila looked at Revan. "Now what?"  
  
"The way I see it we have two choices. Find a planet to hide on, or confront Palpatine head on. I think you know which I'm in favor of."  
  
"Yes I do, and you know I'm not convinced you're right."  
  
Revan sighed, "You're worried I understand that, but you have to understand that Palpatine is not indestructible, despite what Master Windu would have you believe."  
  
Bastila shook her head. "I don't think that. Believe me Revan, if there's anyone in the galaxy capable of short circuiting prophecy it's you, but I keep thinking back to my vision on Rakata. It was very clear, you cannot do anything to stop Palpatine. If you try you will be destroyed, and I really don't want to lose you."  
  
Revan looked into Bastila's eyes and saw the fear that lay in them. "Alright," he relented. "When we get back to Coruscant I'll meditate on this some more, maybe even travel to Rakata myself. How's that?"  
  
Bastila smiled wanly. "That's a good start. You know you really have grown. The old Revan wouldn't have been nearly as open to listening to the concerns of others."  
  
"The old Revan would have challenged Palpatine for the supremacy of the Sith by now," Revan pointed out.  
  
"Just make sure you don't do that," Bastila said lightly.  
  
"I'll see what I can do princess," Revan replied.  
  
Bastila reached out and hugged Revan. "See that you don't you frustratingly stubborn and lovely man," she said before kissing Revan's cheek.  
  
Revan brought the Ebon Hawk out of hyperspace. The swirling star field resolved itself into the familiar space around Coruscant. Hanging in space directly in front of them was a large Republic cruiser.  
  
"Attention civilian freighter," a voice blared on the com. "You will heave-to and accept boarders.''  
  
Revan keyed the com, "Republic cruiser, this ship is on a mission for the Jedi Council please explain."  
  
"We have information that says the assassin who attacked Chancellor Palpatine is aboard your ship. If you do not comply we will disable your craft and forcibly board you."  
  
Bastila and Windu walked into the cockpit. "What's wrong?" Bastila asked.  
  
Revan turned and faced Bastila and Windu. "It seems they think Palpatine's attacker is aboard the Hawk."  
  
"Good guess," Windu noted dryly.  
  
Bastila looked at Windu, "Isn't there something you can do?"  
  
"That won't be necessary," Revan said. "I'll turn myself in."  
  
"You'll do what?" Bastila asked in amazement. "But isn't that what Palpatine wants?"  
  
"Statement: I will be happy to break you out of whatever prison you are stored in Master," HK said.  
  
"That also won't be necessary," Revan told the droid. "I'm no good to Palpatine in prison. He's just letting me know how uncomfortable he can make life for me if I qcontinue to fight him"  
  
"Revan no, you shouldn't be doing this," Bastila protested.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure Master Windu will be able to get me released," Revan looked over at Windu, "You will right?"  
  
Windu nodded, "I'm confident I can pull a few strings and make that happen. It will take time; maybe a day or longer depending on which hole you get thrown into."  
  
"A night in jail won't kill me," Revan told Bastila confidently.  
  
"But what if Palpatine tries to have you eliminated while you're incarcerated?"  
  
"Relax, I have a plan," Revan said as he glanced over at T3.  
  
In the Jedi Temple on Coruscant Obi-Wan was leading Anakin through a training exercise in Force awareness. Anakin was doing a handstand on a round boulder, and directing a ball through a maze using the Force. All the while a droid threw small objects at Anakin. Anakin had to deflect the projectiles and steer the ball through the maze at the same time. A small box slipped through Anakin's defenses and hit him in the stomach; causing Anakin to tumble to the ground.  
  
"Enough!" Obi-wan called out. "Anakin, what's wrong? You seem distracted."  
  
Anakin picked himself up off the ground. "I'm sorry master, I've been thinking about something Master Delwynn told me yesterday."  
  
Obi-Wan sighed to himself, "What sort of nonsense did Revan put into the boy's head?" he wondered to himself. "What was that?" He asked his Padawan.  
  
"He said that love is what separates the Jedi from the Sith."  
  
"Master Delwynn is correct. The Sith, and anyone else who follows the Dark Side, are ruled by their anger and hate. However, Master Delwynn is not talking about the kind of love you see in a romance holo vid."  
  
"What other kind of love is there?" Anakin wondered.  
  
"Compassion," Obi-Wan replied. "A Jedi must feel compassion for those he protects. That is what Master Delwynn was referring to." Obi-Wan knew full well that Revan was not talking about compassion, but Anakin did not need to know that. It would only serve to muddle things for Anakin at a time when he needed simplicity.  
  
"That seems like a wishy-washy answer," Anakin said petulantly.  
  
"Anakin, once again you must respect the accumulated wisdom of the Jedi Order. The strictures of the Order were put in place for your protection, not to inconvenience you!" Obi-Wan snapped as his temper flared. "Look at it this way, everyone has a mother they care about as much as you do yours. As a Jedi it is your duty to protect everyone the way you want to protect your mother. Does that make sense?'' Obi-Wan figured Anakin's thoughts were on his mother. Most of Anakin's questions regarding the Jedi Code revolved around her.  
  
"I guess," Anakin admitted grudgingly.  
  
"If you allow yourself to become fixated on one person how can you expect to serve the galaxy as a whole?" Obi-Wan continued. "Being a Jedi is a calling that requires no small amount of sacrifice on your part."  
  
"Is it worth it then?" Anakin asked.  
  
"Of course it is," Obi-Wan replied. "You will do tremendous good in the galaxy as a Jedi, of that I have no doubt."  
  
"What good is that if I can't help my mother?"  
  
"How many other mother's have you helped while you have been my Padawan?" Obi-Wan countered. "Don't their families deserve the chance to live a life of peace?"  
  
"It just doesn't seem fair that my mother has to be punished because of who I am."  
  
"Would it have changed anything if you had not left with Master Qui-Gon and joined the Order?" Obi-Wan asked. "This way at least your mother knows that you are free, and I'm sure that means more to her than even her own freedom."  
  
"She still deserves to be free," Anakin insisted.  
  
"As do all who are held in slavery. You have to take those feelings yoou have for your mother and apply them to everyone. Only then will you truly be a Jedi."  
  
"I am doing my best Master Obi-Wan," Anakin said defensively.  
  
Obi-Wan smiled, "I know you are Anakin."  
  
Anakin fell silent for a moment. "How do you do it master?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Turn off you emotions? You make it look so easy."  
  
"It's not that I turn off my emotions; I simply do not let them rule me," Obi-Wan replied. "It's a matter of practice Anakin, and nothing more. All you need to do is focus more. Now let's work on something different shall we?"  
  
"As you wish master," Anakin replied as he followed Obi-Wan out of the training room.  
  
From a hidden observation room Yoda watched Obi-Wan and Anakin leave the training area. "Coming along well Anakin is," Yoda mused to himself. "But be ready in time will he? Pushing events too fast Revan is. Threatening everything he is." Yoda sighed. All he could do now was watch and hope that his life's work would not be in vain.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
Author's Notes: Chapter 16 is done. Kind of a treading water thing. Coming up next, Shawshank Strikes Bank.  



	17. Chapter 17

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: A hyperspace accident throws Bastila and Revan into a galaxy of intrigue. Whatever happend to happily ever after?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Seventeen

Palpatine pushed a button on his secure communication equipment. A wavey image of Dooku appeared before him. "Yes my lord?" Dooku asked.

"Revan has been taken into custody," Palpatine said without preamble.

"I still wonder master, to what end will this accomplish?" Dooku asked. "The Jedi council will, without a doubt push for his release."

"The Council has a deep, and abiding respect for law and order," Palpatine replied. "It will take them several days to work through the bureaucracy and secure Revan's release," he explained. "In the intervening time we must persuade Revan that it is in his best interest to escape."

"Such a move would irrevocably shatter any trust the council might have in Revan," Dooku realized. "But surely Revan will see through your plan. All of the histories say that there has never been a more cunning strategist."

"It is my intention to place Revan in a situation where he has no choice but to attempt a jailbreak."

"Bastila Shan?"

Palpatine nodded, "Revan's weakness for the woman is legendary."

"Still my lord, how do you know Revan will fall into your trap?"

"Revan will challenge me, I have foreseen it.''

"Yes my master." Dooku said as he stifled his annoyance. Dooku was not impressed with Palpatine's so-called divination. He had not foreseen Revan's arrival, that was obvious, and yet now he was trying to claim that Revan was a part of his grand vision. Dooku knew better, Revan and Bastila were outside prophecy. They presented an opportunity to change the balance of power for whoever was able to seize it, and Dooku was determined to be that person. "Laugh now you old fool," Dooku thought. "Soon you will see who truly deserves to be the Dark Lord."

"Is everything in place?" Palpatine asked, breaking Dooku's train of thought.

"Yes master," Dooku answered. "What instructions shall I give the men?"

"Kill Bastila Shan if possible, otherwise place her in as much danger as they can."

Dooku bowed low, "I will see that your will is done my lord."

Revan was shoved into a holding cell by a beefy Gamorrean guard. "Get in your cell you worthless piece of slime!" the Gamorrean grunted.

Revan looked around the small cell as the force field door snapped into place. He knew he was still on Coruscant; the ship that had captured him had not gone into hyperspace. However that was hardly a comforting thought; in Revan's time there were prisons on Coruscant that were every bit as bad as Kessel, and Revan figured that Palpatine was not interested in prison reform. Revan fingered the neural disruptor around his neck. He found it disconcerting and it took tremendous concentration on his part to keep his wits about him. It felt like he was moving through mud.

"Hello Mr. Jedi," a voice said from behind Revan. He spun around and saw a life-sized hologram of a human standing in front of him. "I hope you aren't offended that I'm not meeting you in person, but we have protocols you understand. Welcome to Republic Detention Center P-1158, or The Pit, as it is somewhat unimaginatively called. I am Warden Nil Jestyrn."

"When is my trial to begin?" Revan asked.

"Your trial? You don't understand, you've already been put on trial. The chancellor has the authority to try anyone in absentia if he deems it in the interest of Republic security."

"The Jedi Council will have something to say about that," Revan shot back.

''And just why should they care? You tried to kill the Chancellor. Besides, the Council doesn't know you are here. The Pit is where people go to disappear."

"Oh, I see," Revan said. "Tell me, who do you serve, Chancellor Palpatine, or Lord Sidious?"

The warden's eyes flashed with anger. "I should kill you where you stand for even mentioning the Dark Lord's name."

"Then why don't you?" Revan taunted. He was betting that Palpatine was not yet willing to see him dead.

"The Dark Lord has not granted me that privilege...yet."

"So how long will I stay here?"

"Until you are willing to listen to Lord Sidious's proposal."

"And if I'm not?"

"In that case I've been instructed to dispose of you and Lord Sidious will turn his attention to your companion. I'm told he has already a plan to capture her."

"In that case I wish you luck, you're going to need it," Revan said with a chuckle.

"You Jedi, always so smug. We have a team that has been training for just such a mission. We will capture her and Lord Sidious will make her his apprentice."

"Is this going anywhere or are you just going to stand there taunting me?" Revan asked he tried to force disinterest into his voice, and was partially successful.

"That is all I have to say," the Warden said. "Oh, there is one thing. The neural disruptor around your neck, it is wired to a thermal detonator. Do not try to remove it."

Revan nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

The hologram disappeared and the holding cell snapped open. The Gamorrean jailor rudely pushed Revan out of the cell and into the cell block. Revan walked down the dimly-lit hallway until the Gamorrean brought him to a stop in front of another cell. Revan was roughly shoved into the cell and the Gamorrean stomped off without as much as a snort.

The cell Revan found himself in was dark, and bigger than he expected. A large shape loomed in the shadows and a guttural roar confirmed what Revan suspected, his cellmate was a Wookie.

"Who are you?" the Wookie growled as he stepped out of the shadows. Revan's cellmate was big, even for a Wookie.

"Just a prisoner, like yourself," Revan said quickly. Obviously the Warden thought pairing Revan with a Wookie would encourage Revan to see things his way. All things considered it wasn't a bad idea Revan thought ruefully.

"It figures they would put a human in my cell," the Wookie grumbled to himself.

"And you think I'm thrilled to be bunking with a Wookie?" Revan shot back.

"You understand Shyriiwook?" The Wookie whuffed in amazement.

"I've been to Kashyyyk a few times," Revan allowed. "I've picked up some of the language. It's a beautiful planet."

"Few of your kind would say that," the Wookie snarled.

"Then that is their loss," Revan earnestly replied. "There are few sights in the galaxy as majestic as the wroshyr trees of your home world."

"Don't say such things," the Wookie moaned. "It only makes me miss my home that much more."

Revan nodded, "I'm sorry, I know how strong the Wookie's connection to Kashyyyk is. Tell me, how did a Wookie wind up in a place like this? We're a long way from Kashyyyk."

"My story is mine!" the Wookie roared. "It is not something to be shared with strangers."

Revan thought back to Zaalbar, and how reticent he was about telling Revan his story. "Another time then, we aren't going anywhere. Can I at least know your name?"

"I am called Wrorwyyr ," the Wookie replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Wrorwyyr," Revan said. "You can call me Aarn."

"Simply leave me in peace human and we will have no need to quarrel," Wrorwyyr told Revan.

"That's fine," Revan glanced around the cell and noticed the bunk beds attached to one wall. "Do you want the top bunk or can I have it?"

"It doesn't matter to me, I cannot fit on either," Wrorwyyr snarled in reply.

Revan climbed onto the top bunk and watched as Wrorwyyr paced about the cell. It was readily apparent that the Wookie was being mistreated by the prison guards. He was rail thin, for a Wookie, and his pelt was patchy. Obviously spending all of his time locked in a windowless cell was killing Wrorwyyr. Revan did not know why Wrorwyyr was imprisoned, but he resolved to help the Wookie if it was at all possible.

"Why are you staring at me" Wrorwyyr demanded.

"There's not much else to look at here now is there?" Revan calmly replied. The last thing Revan wanted to do was get Wrorwyyr angry with him.

"I don't like it when people stare at me," Wrorwyyr growled.

"Don't worry, I won't be around for much longer," Revan promised Wrorwyyr. He glanced out of the cell and watched a service droid as it rolled past. The droid swiveled it's head and twittered when it saw that Revan was looking at him.

"Nobody leaves the Pit," the Wookie moaned. "Not even the dead."

"There's a first time for everything," Revan pointed out.

"Keep dreaming human," Wrorwyyr shot back.

Revan smiled, but didn't push the issue. Instead he closed his eyes and attempted to meditate. The neural disruptor interfered with his ability to reach the Force, but he eventually managed to slip into a meditative trace.

Revan thought about the future, and Palpatine. The Wookie Wrorwyyr troubled him. The distrust and fear he felt towards others was symptomatic of a galaxy ruled by the Sith. If Palpatine was allowed to achieve his goal the Sith ideals of gaining power over everything else would have fertile ground to grow. Paranoia would become the watch word as friends and family betray each other to curry favor with their Sith rulers. The Sith would crush all that was good in the galaxy out of existence.

Yoda might think he had Palpatine contained, but no one was able to predict the future with complete accuracy. To pin all their hopes on something that might come to pass was in Revan's mind almost criminal. The Sith presented a cancer that had to be removed as quickly as possible.

Revan's meditation was interrupted when he felt two furry hands grab him by the throat. His eyes flew open and he saw Wrorwyyr standing over him, his hands wrapped around Revan's neck. "Wrorwyyr," Revan choked out. "You don't have to do this."

"I'm sorry," the Wookie howled. "But I have no choice."

The world swam in front of Revan as he ineffectually pounded on the Wookie's strong arms. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the service droid roll past the cell door again. The droid whistled frantically and Revan felt the neural disruptor around his neck deactivate.

The world immediately snapped back into focus and Revan felt his control of the Force return. Revan held up his hand and unleashed a blast of Force energy directly into the Wookie's chest.

The blast caused Wrorwyyr to fly across the cell and he crashed into the opposite wall. Before the Wookie could recover Revan bound him with the Force. "Thanks T3," Revan told the disguised droid. "You'd better get out of here before the guards figure out how I got the collar off." T3 twittered its understanding and rolled away.

"Now for you," Revan told Wrorwyyr. "What's your story."

"Just kill me and be done with it," Wrorwyyr moaned "I'll never see my home again."

"If I kill you that's certainly going to be true."

"The Warden, he said if I killed you I would be released. What other choice did I have?"

"But how did you end up here?"

"My mate on Kashyyyk is sick and she needs an off world medicine to treat her condition. I approached a trader who claimed to have the medicine, what else could I do?"

Revan nodded his understanding. "Go on." He knew how Wrorwyyr's story was going to end, but he wanted to hear it from the Wookie.

"The medicine, it was very expensive. More than I could afford. But the trader would sell it to me if I was willing to work for him."

"And you agreed," Revan said.

"Of course I did, my mate was dying!" Wrorwyyr thundered. "You probably guessed what happened next. The trader wanted me to be hired muscle for him. I did many things I am not proud of, but I did it all because I had to save my mate."

"Did you?" Revan gently asked.

"She got her medicine. I'm not so naive as to be fooled like that. However I have not seen her since so I do not know if she did recover. Not long afterwards the trader was arrested and I wound up here."

Revan could tell that Wrorwyyr was telling him the truth. He released the Force bonds that held the Wookie in place. "I was not lying when I said I'm not going to be here long. I'll be sure to make sure you get released when I do."

"And why should I believe you?" Wrorwyyr asked.

"I am a Jedi," Revan replied. "Righting injustice is what I do."

"Forgive me if I'm skeptical human, but I haven't had any hope in a long time."

"Restoring hope is my specialty," Revan said lightly. "Trust me, tomorrow will be better."

The next morning Warden Jestyrn walked up to the cell. "Ahh, good morning Wrorwyyr. Did you have a pleasant evening?"

"I don't know about Wrorwyyr, but I slept like a log," Revan said. "What, surprised to see I'm still alive Warden?"

"I will deal with you later," Jestyrn warned Wrorwyyr.

"Actually no you won't," Revan said sharply. "Jedi Master Mace Windu of the Jedi Council is here about my release. I'm leaving and taking the Wookie with me." Revan leaned heavily on the warden's mind with the Force as he issued his instructions.

"Alright fine, take the Wookie with you," Jestyrn said without realizing Revan's influence on him. "We were only holding him here to keep him from testifying against his boss. Not like that case is going to trial. The Hutts made an example out of him, a rather messy oone from what I understand."

Revan motioned for Wrorwyyr to follow him and they walked out of the cell block. Windu was waiting for them on the outside.

"Found yourself a friend I see," Windu noted when he saw Wrorwyyr.

"I was just doing what a Jedi's supposed to do," Revan replied. "Help the hopeless. We need to get this Wookie on the next transport to Kashyyyk immediately. The Warden might not be pleased to find out he granted an early release."

Windu nodded, "Then let's not dawdle."

HK-47 stumped into a bar located in the underbelly of Coruscant. He quickly scanned the bar and walked over to a dark corner of the room. HK brushed aside the Trandoshan standing guard over the table. "Query: Are you the organic known as Werin Restak?"

Restak was a large human who was known to work for one of the Hutt crime syndicates with business interests on Coruscant. He wore a well-tailored suit that was at odds with the seamy surroundings. "Who's asking?" Restak's right hand ducked under the table, most likely to his blaster. His Twi'lek escort girls all scurried away from the table; a life spent in the criminal underworld told them trouble was brewing."

"Statement: I am KH-74, special missions droid."

"And what exactly are these special missions?" Restak asked dryly.

"Commentary: My primary function is protocol and diplomacy."

"I see, and why does a 'protocol droid' need heavy armor plating and weapon mounts?"

"Statement: For the same reason a 'simple garbageman' such as yourself needs a Trandoshan bodyguard."

Restak chuckled lightly, "I see your point. Now state your business before I have my Trandoshan put you in the scrap heap."

"Statement: I am looking for work, and I heard you are looking for someone to do a job."

"And who is your master?"

"Commentary: No one. I am an independent operator and frankly the thought of an inefficient organic meat bag being my master gives me great displeasure."

Restak didn't quite know how to digest HK's statement and decided to move on. The droid was so obviously illegal that it had to be telling the truth. "Alright then, what are your qualifications."

"Statement: I'd gladly demonstrate them." Before Restak could reply HK produced a virbroblade from a hidden compartment and jammed it into the gut of the Trandoshian guard. The Trandoshan looked down at the knife in amazement before pulling it out of it's belly. The lizard-like sentient grinned as it licked the blood off of the blade.

"That's enough," Restak said quickly. "I don't want to see my favorite bodyguard come to anymore harm. Ok droid, you have skill. What is your fee?"

"Commentary: The sheer joy of killing meat bags is payment enough for me. However I do require a nominal fee to ensure my upkeep. I am well skilled with all manner of weaponry and other forms of meat bag termination. Additionally my assassination protocols hide the identity of my employer from even myself until the mission is accomplished in case of capture, and after payment is recieved I purge all memory of the job. Query: Are these sufficient for your needs?"

In all his years Restak had never seen a stone-cold crazy droid, until now. Part of him screamed to run away from the psychotic red droid, but he did have a contract to be filled and the droid looked like the perfect fit for a crazy assignment. "Yeah, I think I have a job for you. Do you have problems with taking out a Jedi?"

"Statement: A Jedi is a meat bag just like any other organic."

Restak shook his head, whoever programmed this droid had been a psychotic son of a bitch. "Well the target's a Jedi, named Brin Kyja." Restak produced a datapad with a picture of Bastila on it.

"Statement: Target criteria has been met," HK said automatically. "Switching to assassination mode." HK drew an obscenely large blaster and fired a shot into Restak's head, blowing it apart like a ripe melon Before the Trandoshan could react HK spun and put two rounds into the bodyguard. HK then fired several more blasts into Restak's already dead body.

HK walked away from the table, leaving the datapad behind. Revan's orders to him had been very clear. He was to track down everyone offering a contract on the meat bag Bastila Shan and terminate them. HK had reacted with unfettered joy at his master allowing him to operate in accordance with his original programming. So far Restak was the third underboss he had terminated since returning to Coruscant.

The rest of the bar watched in muted silence as HK walked out of the bar. They wanted no part in such an obvious hit ordered by someone very high up in the crime world. Werin Restak was a trusted Hutt lieutenant and a person like that wasn't killed unless the person ordering the hit had serious juice of his own. Not to mention that the droid looked like it wanted to make sure there were no witnesses.

Once outside the bar HK tapped into the holonet and scanned for anymore appropriate looking classified ads. HK knew that the main point of his mission was to scare people away from taking the bounty on Bastila's head, but until people got the message the droid was determined to enjoy every moment of his killing spree.

"I do not know how to thank-you Aarn Delwynn," Wrorwyyr barked. They were standing on a landing pad in one of Coruscant's many spaceports. Behind the Wookie stood a transport bound for Kashyyyk.

"Just get back to your family, and don't swear a life debt to me," Revan said half-jokingly. "I've already had one of those, and you need to get home to Kashyyyk."

"I can see why a Wookie would swear a life debt to you," Wrorwyyr replied. "You are a true friend of the Wookies." Wrorwyyr reached out and wrapped Revan up in a crushing Wookie hug.

"Alright, that's enough. You don't want to miss your ship," Revan choked out as the Wookie squeezed the life out of him.

"I don't know how I can repay my debt to you. If it wasn't for your actions I'd still be in that hell..."

"I know, I know. Wrorwyyr all you have to do for me is go home to Kashyyyk and live your life. Doing that will give me more pleasure than anything else you could do for me."

Wrorwyyr nodded and walked into the transport. "Thank-you again, I will never forget what you did for me Aarn Delwynn." The transport's boarding ramp closed and the ship took off.

Windu had watched the goodbyes from a short distance away. "Here's what's puzzling me," he said as Revan walked up to him.

"What's that?"

"Why would you take the time from your quest to help a single Wookie who probably belongs in a prison for some of his actions?"

"He was coerced into that. His intentions were honorable, even if his actions didn't end up that way. Besides, what's so surprising? Somebody had to look out for that Wook."

"Yes, but you're Revan. You have the fate of the galaxy Restakg on your shoulder, yet you stop to help one being."

Revan stared at Windu. "If you really need that explained to you then you don't deserve the title Jedi Master. To save one soul is to save every soul, and if we forget that then the Dark Side wins."

Windu's expression turned serious. "No, I understand that well enough. I was just curious if you did."

Revan stopped walking and sighed. "Look, Master Windu. I have to confront Palpatine. I know Master Yoda has his prophecy, and Bastila has her vision, but if I don't do this then I'm not being true to myself. We all have our parts to play, and this is mine. Besides, Palpatine expects me to do this. If I don't then he might suspect something is wrong, and that might bring your whole little plan crashing down around your head."

Windu nodded. "We can only be who we are. Just remember, so long as you stay true to the Light you will prevent Palpatine from gaining total victory. And personally, I hope you kick his ass."

Revan smiled. "Thanks for the encouragement." Revan paused, he realized that this was probably the last time he was going to see the Jedi Master. "And thanks for everything." He held out his hand. "May the Force be with you Master Mace Windu."

Windu shook Revan's hand. "May the Force be with you Master Revan. Trust me you've earned the title," he added when he saw the shocked look on Revan's face.

Revan nodded then started to walk away from Windu. "Revan!" Windu shouted. "You're going to need this." Windu tossed Revan his lightsaber.

Revan caught the lightsaber and smiled. "Thanks." Revan turned and ran off.

Windu watched Revan disappear into the crowd of the spaceport. "I hope you know what you're doing Revan," he muttered to himself before walking away in the opposite direction.

Chancellor Palpatine climbed into his official speeder to travel to the Senate for a day of parliamentary procedures. He eagerly awaited the day that he could dissolve the Senate and put the corrupt, weak-willed fools that sat in it's chamber to death. He did enjoy manipulating them to do his bidding, but their constant need to debate and hold committee meetings on every piece of minutiae strained even Palpatine's considerable patience.

Palpatine was so occupied in thought about the upcoming appropriations bill that he did not even pay attention to the other figure sitting in the speeder. As chancellor he was so used to having aides hovering around him that he paid them no mind.

"Hello Chancellor," Revan said.

Palpatine jerked his head around and saw Revan sitting across from him. "Revan? Aren't you supposed to be in prison." He fought down the moment of panic that at first welled up in him.

"What can I say, I have friends in high places. Chancellor, we need to talk."

"Oh really? Then why don't you schedule an appointment with my secretary like everyone else."

"Because I don't think your secretary handles these kinds of appointments."

"So this is about the matter we discussed earlier," Palpatine said more as a statement than a question.

"I cannot let you conquer the galaxy," Revan said flatly.

"I take it that means you are rejecting my offer?"

"I've served the Dark Side once before and repeating mistakes is not one of my faults."

"I see, that leaves us where then?"

"Meet me on Korriban in two days, we'll settle things there," Revan said flatly.

"It's to be a duel then, you challenging me for who controls the galaxy. I don't know Revan, that sounds like an awfully Sith thing to do."

"I'm not doing this for me. I'm fighting you for everyone in the galaxy who cannot stand up for themselves. I'm fighting to make sure the people keep control of the galaxy."

"The people," Palpatine scoffed. "What do they know? They want me in power, and when the time comes they will gladly hand me control of the galaxy. The Republic is dead, it just doesn't know it yet."

"People will oppose you," Revan predicted. "Freedom is too powerful an idea for you to destroy."

Palpatine chuckled. "By the time I am done any resistance or rebellion will be so insignificant that it will be an easy matter to crush it."

"All the more reason to stop you now," Revan countered.

"And If I do not attend your little showdown?"

"Then I suppose I'll have no choice but to form my own resistance movement, gather together some like-minded Jedi to me and some Outer-Rim systems. I think Anakin Skywalker would be interested in joining such a cause." Revan could tell he had struck a chord with Palpatine. "Make no mistake Chancellor, I can throw your entire army into disarray, smash your navy and burn your shipyards."

"If you're so confident in your abilities then why not do that?"

"Because it's what you want, the Republic torn to shreds. I don't want to destroy the Republic in an attempt to save it, unless I have no other choice."

Palpatine stared into Revan's eyes and saw the determination that blazed in them. "You know it's a shame the Jedi never gave you the respect you deserve..."

"Save the false platitudes for someone who cares," Revan said harshly. "Korriban, two days, I'll be waiting." Before Palpatine could say anything more Revan threw open the door to the speeder and jumped out.

Palpatine looked out and saw Revan land on top of a cargo speeder. "Truly remarkable," Palpatine thought to himself as he watched Revan fly away.

-to be continued-

Author's Notes: Yeah, this chapter took forver and a day to finish. Combination of work and creative blockage. I started out hating the chapter, but in the end it stands on it's own. Also, there are bound to be typos and whatnot in here, but I'm just so sick of staring at this chapter I don't feel like doing a heavy proofread right now. We're now entering the part of the story that I've been waiting to write for almost a year now. Chapter 18 is almost halfway done already and the last two chapters should fall down in short order following that. Thanks for reading and reviewing.  
-sam


	18. Chapter 18

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: A hyperspace accident throws Bastila and Revan into a galaxy of intrigue. Whatever happend to happily ever after?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Eighteen

Revan stared out of the Ebon Hawk's cockpit and into the inky dark of deep space. Bastila walked into the cockpit and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You don't have to do this you know. We could always change course and find somewhere to hide."

Revan turned around and looked at Bastila. "And go where? Is there anywhere in the galaxy that's safe from Palpatine?"

"There's always Rakata," Bastila pointed out. "It's not on any star charts and if we reactivate the disruptor field no star ship can even get close to the planet. We could wait out Palpatine there, together."

Revan reached up and lifted Bastila's arms from his shoulder. He caught her hands in his. "You don't know how much I want that, but it's not for me. Bastila, I have to do this."

Bastila pulled away from Revan. "Why?" She demanded. "Why does it have to be you? Revan, this isn't our fight. This isn't even our time. Yoda and the others have a plan. Haven't we done our part for the galaxy?" Bastila paused. "Or is that it, you think you still have to atone for Darth Revan's crimes."

Revan shook his head,. "That's not it, not entirely at least."

"You cannot undo who you are Revan," Bastila said gently.

"You're really one to talk," Revan snapped. "There hasn't been a day since you came back to the light that you haven't gone on about atonement or redemption."

Bastila frowned, "And I thought you had moved past such petty thoughts, but now I see the truth. You were masking your own insecurities to appear strong for me. Well I don't need your help anymore Revan so you can stop hiding your emotions from yourself. You see Revan, I learned something on Rakata. We can't live our lives looking for forgiveness, or atonement. We each did horrible things when we were under the Dark Side's sway. There is no way we can undo the damage that we did or bring back the people who died because of our actions."

"You have a hell of a way of motivating a person," Revan grumbled.

"Hear me out," Bastila pleaded.

"No, you don't understand," Revan barked. "The Force has given me a second chance, even though I don't deserve it. I owe it to the Force, and the rest of the galaxy, to dedicate myself to driving back the Dark Side. This is my charge."

"Oh get over yourself!" Bastila snapped. "The galaxy doesn't revolve around you, nor has it ever. Do you truly think you could have defeated Malak without the help of Jolee, Carth, Mission, and all the rest? Do you honestly think that if you were to vanish that Palpatine would establish an Empire that will rule for millennia? Because if you do I have news for you Revan, you're wrong."

"This isn't some ego-trip," Revan shot back. "No one else is willing to do what needs to be done. Yoda and the rest of Council are so ossified that they've pinned their hopes on a boy who barely comprehends what he is capable of, let alone the nature of the Force. They should be out there, confronting Palpatine head on, not hiding behind Anakin like a bunch of scared tachs," Revan fumed. "And if they're not willing to do what is necessary then it's up to me to save them from themselves!"

Bastila coolly regarded Revan, "Is that what you really think?"

"Yes!" Revan shouted. "No..." he sighed. "I just can't do it Bastila. I cannot sit by and let Palpatine win. I've fought too hard to see the Sith victorious now."

"Even though Yoda says that Palpatine will lose in the end?"

"That's cold comfort to the people Palpatine will kill before he's defeated," Revan countered. "I know I'm risking a lot doing this, I'm not that big a fool, but I can't walk away from this fight. This might not have started out being our time, but it's where we are now and the way I see it that makes it our time as much as anyone else."

Bastila reached out and cupped Revan's face in her hands. "Revan do you deep down in your soul believe that this is the right thing to do?"

Revan nodded, "I do Bastila, l really do."

She leaned forward and kissed Revan on the lips. "Then that's good enough for me."

"But don't you have reservations about taking the fight to Palpatine?"

"I do, but I'm yours Revan, I'll follow you to the depths of hell if I have to. I won't let you face this fight alone. Besides I want another shot at Palpatine's apprentice." She smiled grimly.

"You do know that this is likely to be a suicide mission," Revan warned Bastila. He held out his arms and she fell into his embrace.

"I know that," Bastila replied and she nestled in close to Revan. "I suppose part of me always figured that this was to be our fate. We're both fighters, champions if you want to sound egotistical, and there will always be something to fight. The quiet life isn't for us."

"In the end though it's not the result that matters, but that you fought the good fight," Revan agreed. "And who knows, we might make it out of this mess yet, did you expect to survive the Star Forge?"

"Not like we did," Bastila admitted. "Of course I had other intentions at the time. But this time is different, isn't it?"

Revan nodded somberly, "Yeah, I think it is. Still sure you want to stay with me?"

Bastila smiled. "More than ever." She hesitated and her face colored slightly. "Revan, you know that...that thing we talked about before."

Revan nodded, "Yeah, sure." He thought he knew, but he wasn't quite sure, however judging by Bastila's trepidation at broaching the topic he didn't want to admit to any ignorance for fear of spooking her, especially if it was what he thought she was taking about.

"I think...I think now is the right time," she said in a quiet voice.

"Now? Are you sure?" Revan asked. He tried to keep the surprise out of his voice, but failed.

"Well if your right, and we are flying off to our doom then I'd like to at least once," Bastila replied. She then smiled coyly. "The most important reason though is that I love you and this is what people in love do. Can we have one night where we're just a pair of normal people and not engaged in galaxy-spanning conflict?" Bastila reached up and kissed Revan with more passion than he could remember. She pulled away from the stunned Jedi and sashayed out of the cockpit. "Are you coming?" She asked over her shoulder.

Revan nodded dumbly and followed Bastila out of the cockpit. He paused in the lounge when he caught sight of HK. "T3, Bastila and I are turning in for the night. Could you keep an eye on things in the cockpit?" The droid twittered it's understanding and rolled off. "HK, you can just switch off, there's nothing for you to do."

"Query: Master are you sure? Your pulse seems higher than normal, and you appear a little flushed."

"Switch off HK," Revan said in a threatening voice.

"Compliance: As you request Master, switching off." The droids orange eyes dimmed.

Revan turned and ran towards the crew quarters. "What took you so long?" Bastila demanded as Revan approached the turn in the corridor that lead into the sleeping area.

"I had to deal with the droids," Revan explained. "I wouldn't want them to interrupt us at an inopportune moment."

"Enough excuses, get in here." Bastila's bare arm shot out of the doorway and dragged Revan into the room. He put up no resistance.

Revan woke up when he felt a familiar presence in the Force. He looked over in the bunk and saw that Bastila was still asleep next to him. "About time you woke up," the gruff voice of Jolee Bindo said. Revan's head snapped around and he saw the blue outline of his old friend. "And it's also about time the two of you finally figured out what people in love are supposed to do."

"Jolee? Is that you?" Revan asked quietly to not wake Bastila.

"Of course it's me," Jolee said indignantly. "Who were you expecting? Darth Malak?"

"Why are you here?" Revan asked as he swung himself out of the bunk.

"Gah, put some pants on! I'm not here to look at that. Though I guess this proves that Bastila loves you for your mind." The spectral Jedi chuckled.

Revan fished his clothes out from the tangled pile that littered the floor. "Like you're one to talk old man."

"Humph, care to see how wrong you are?" Jolee asked as he reached for his belt buckle.

"That is the last thing I ever want to see," Revan said quickly. "So how long have you been here?"

"Oh long enough," Jolee said pointedly. "You know, if you want any tips I picked up more than a few tricks in my time."

"Jolee, don't take this the wrong way, but if I ever need help from a ghost with my love life it's time for me to become a ghost as well." 

"Fine, just ignore the sage advice from your elders. It isn't like you paid attention to me when I was alive."

"I'm happy to see you again Jolee, but I repeat, why are you here?" Revan asked as he finished buckling his belt.

"Oh I don't know, make any galaxy altering decisions lately?"

Revan motioned for Jolee to follow him out of the crew quarters. "So that's it, you're here to try and talk me out of this confrontation with Palpatine?"

"No, when have I ever tried to talk you out of anything. You've got a head as hard as Alderaanian marble, and you're as stubborn as a Wookie. I'm just here to talk to you."

"And if I change my mind so much the better?" Revan asked as he walked into the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk and settled into the pilot's chair.

"I didn't say that now did I?" Jolee replied. "I am curious though, are you willing to pay the price to do what needs to be done?"

"Of course I am," Revan said defensively. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"But do you know what the price is?" Jolee asked. "You think you do, but you don't."

"You're the one who's joined the Force, you tell me."

"She's asleep in the next room," Jolee said quietly.

"What, Bastila?" 

"Always were sharp as a tack. Yes Bastila, who did you think I was talking about, the Hapan Queen?"

"You'd better explain yourself Jolee," Revan said in a threatening voice.

"Your challenging Palpatine like this throws everything you have with Bastila into jeopardy. Not the least of which being the very real chance one or both of you will die."

"You don't think I know that?" Revan shot back.

"Apparently you don't because you're still going through with this. Has it even occurred to you what might happen to Bastila if you die, or turn to the Dark Side? You two are linked in ways you're only just coming to comprehend. Now I know you don't give a mynock's ass about your own life, but what about hers?"

"She's a Jedi," Revan replied. "She'll do what she has to, regardless."

"And what about you? Will you do what you have to if she falls on this fool's errand?"

"I've done it once before," Revan growled.

"Yes, you did, but could you do it again, now?" Jolee arched an eyebrow to emphasis his point.

"I'm still fully capable of making hard decisions Jolee,'' Revan said sternly. 

"I know you are kid, but there's a difference between making a hard decision and cutting down the woman you love. And don't talk to me about the Star Forge. You didn't really know what it meant to be in love then."

"You're right, I didn't know," Revan admitted. "But do you know what, I'd fight all the more harder to get her back now because I'd know the woman I love would be trapped by the Dark Side."

"And if you couldn't free her? If she refused to turn back to the light?"

"I'm not you Jolee, and Bastila is not Nayama." Revan winced when he realized what he said. "Jolee, I'm sorry."

Jolee sighed, "No kid, don't be. I'm dead and gone there's no reason to hold anything back. Look, what happened between Nayama and I was our own personal hell, but don't fool yourself into believing it can't happen to you."

"I know that," Revan snapped. "It's kept me up nights worrying about it, but I can tell you this much. I won't repeat your mistakes old man."

"Of course you won't," Jolee huffed. "You're perfectly adept at making your own, all new mistakes."

Revan smiled at Jolee's quip. "I know the risks," he said in a quieter voice. "And so does Bastila. We just have to rely on each other to stay clear of the Dark Side."

"And if you can pull that off I'll be amazed," Jolee responded. "You're headed for dark waters Revan. Make no mistake of that. Palpatine isn't some young buck Jedi with a head full of Dark Side like Malak. He's a full-fledged Sith Lord, as evil as they come. You've never faced anyone remotely like him. As ruthless bastards go he gives Exar Kun a run for his money."

"I know that," Revan said. "It doesn't change a thing." Revan paused "If you were here..."

"I am here!" Jolee grumped.

"You know what I mean. If you were alive, would you be telling me to hold back, or would you be at my side?"

"Well I was never much of a Jedi," Jolee allowed.

"You're ducking the question," Revan accused Jolee.

"I am? I thought I was trying to explain why you're supposed to do as I say, not as I do."

Revan smiled. "I've missed you old man."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get all mushy on me," Jolee groused. "But it is good too see you too. Look, just promise me you won't go all Dark Side, or something equally stupid like getting yourself killed. You've got too much to live for to join me right now."

Revan nodded, "Now that I can do." Revan paused. "So, what's it like being dead?"

"Always the direct sort weren't you," Jolee quipped. "It's a lot like being old. Nobody younger than you pays any attention to what you have to say."

"Have you...have you seen your wife?" Revan asked gently.

Jolee's face fell. "Nayama wasn't, she wasn't at peace with herself when she died. It prevented her spirit from becoming one with the Force. As best I can tell she's out there, lost, like the ghost of Ajunta Pall. I've looked for her, but the extent of what I can do is pretty limited." Jolee waved a hand through the wall to emphasize his point.

"I'm sorry Jolee, I know that must be hard for you."

"Oh save your tears, I made my peace with what happened to Nayama long ago."

"Revan," Bastila called out. "Who are you talking to? It sounds like..." Bastila walked into the cockpit wearing nothing but a bed sheet. "Jolee Bindo!" She said in amazement when she saw the ghost of the old Jedi.

"Hello Bastila, I'm glad to see you finally took my advice." Jolee chuckled as a faint blush crept up Bastila's face.

"What advice was that?" Revan asked.

"He suggested I change my hair style," Bastila said quickly and brushed her hair which was out of its customary twin ponytails.

"Yes, I did tell you that didn't I?" Jolee mused thoughtfully. "But that wasn't the advice I was thinking about. Remember Rakata, after the medal ceremony?"

"Jolee this is hardly the time."

Revan smiled, there was nothing he liked more than teasing the Jedi Princess. "No I think this is exactly the time."

"I just said that she shouldn't be afraid of the two of you getting...you known, more physical. I said she'd like it and from the looks of things I was right."

It took all of Revan's willpower to keep from laughing at the thought of Jolee explaining the facts of life to a clearly mortified Bastila. "I would've liked to have heard that," he said.

"No you wouldn't," Bastila insisted. "Jolee, are you here for any reason other than tormenting me?"

"Yeah, torment Revan as well, I'm a ghost after all, tormenting the living is what I do," Jolee laughed. "By the way, nice outfit, it's a welcome change from those Jedi robes you were always wear."

Bastila looked down at her makeshift toga and her blush deepened even further. "I wasn't expecting guests," she said lamely. "So are you here to talk some sense into Revan?"

"You of all people should know that's not possible," Jolee quipped. "You'd have better luck shaving a Wookie." Jolee sighed. "Well, it's been fun, but I can't stay much longer. Truth be told I'm not even supposed to be here talking to you, it's against the rules."

"Since when has Jolee Bindo been one to follow the rules?" Revan asked light-heartedly.

"I'm here aren't I? Anyway, you two kids take care of yourselves. And remember what I said Revan, don't get yourself killed fighting Palpatine. Your kids would hold it against you." As Jolee vanished he chuckled at the incredulous looks on Bastila and Revan's faces.

"Damn you old man! Why do you always have to get the last word in," Revan groused to the empty space where Jolee' ghost stood.

"Revan, did you hear what he said?" Bastila asked in astonishment.

Revan nodded somberly, "Yeah, I did. It is the natural byproduct of what we were doing you know."

"I know that," Bastila snapped. "I guess I never gave it much thought."

"And now?"

"Now..." Bastila's voice trailed off. In her mind she saw a vision of her, Revan, and their child, a girl with hair like hers and Revan's eyes, sitting around a table. Revan was trying to get the girl, his daughter, to eat something out of a bowl, and the girl was refusing. Bastila saw herself laughing when the girl used the Force to dump the contents of the bowl over Revan's head.

"Bastila? Are you still there?" Revan asked. 

Bastila's attention snapped back to the here and now. "Sorry, I was just..." She was unsure if she should mention what she had seen to Revan. It might have been a Force-inspired vision, or it might have been her own wishful thinking. "Thinking, I was just thinking. What do think about what Jolee said?" She asked to stall for time.

"I think we're about to head into a fight with the Dark Lord of the Sith. We can't let ourselves be distracted by things that might come to pass."

It was the finality in Revan's voice that crystallized the decision for Bastila. Try as she might she could not get the face of the girl with Revan's eyes out of her mind. "No Revan, you're wrong. This is precisely the time to talk about this. People say they fight for concepts and ideas like freedom or the Republic, but in reality that's not why they fight. They're fighting to protect more concrete things, like their home, their friends, their family. Even you Revan, at the Star Forge, you weren't fighting to save the galaxy, you were fighting to save me, and don't deny it."

Revan nodded, "Sure any general knows that their soldiers fight best that way."

"Well let me give you something concrete to live for." Bastila reached out and touched Revan's face. She closed her eyes and forced the image of their child into Revan's mind. "Do you understand now?" She asked.

Revan stared into Bastila's eyes. "Do you really want that?" He asked quietly.

"Yes Revan, I do. I want a family."

"You know any child of ours is going to be Force-sensitive," Revan pointed out. "It's hard to have a family if your children are Padawans in the Jedi Order."

"The Jedi won't get them," Bastila said defiantly. "I won't put them through that. The feelings of separations, loss and abandonment. We can train them. You said it yourself. Your implanted memories of a stable childhood helped you resist the Dark Side."

"Them?" Revan asked. "A moment ago you said you hadn't given it any thought and now you're at multiple kids."

"I don't know, maybe it's some buried maternal instinct, but I knew I wanted this as soon as Jolee mentioned it."

"Do you think maybe you're trying to recreate your own family, before you joined the Order?" Revan asked.

"Why are you so dead set against this?" Bastila asked, her exasperation with Revan showing through.

"I'm not, believe me I'm not. There's nothing I want more." Revan raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. "It's just look at the galaxy, it's not safe for a Force-sensitive child."

"All the more reason for you to make it safe," Bastila pointed out. "Revan, you've talked about fighting Palpatine for the good of the galaxy and the good of the Republic. How about fighting Palpatine for the good of your children to be."

Revan raised an eyebrow. "Laying it on a little thick aren't you?" he quipped.

"Revan, be serious," Bastila scolded.

"I am serious, could you have been anymore melodramatic? Think of the children," Revan said dramatically as he held his forearm up to his head as if to deflect some imaginary blow.

"Oh why must you always mock me?" Bastila cried out in frustration and she reached out to slap Revan's arm. The sudden motion dislodged the sheet she had wrapped around her and it slipped to the floor. Bastila turned pink with embarrassment when she realized what happened.

"Well what do you know. When you blush it goes all the way down," Revan quipped.

"Revan!" Bastila said sternly as she gathered the blanket back around her. "That is hardly a proper thing to say."

"What can I say, I'm hardly a proper sort of guy."

"You don't have to remind me of that," Bastila groused.

"I'm sorry I mocked you," Revan allowed when he saw the look of hurt in Bastila's eyes. "But you have to admit that was pretty over the top."

Bastila chuckled ruefully. "It was, wasn't it? But I meant it. I saw us, as a family, and it felt to so good to have a future that wasn't and endless grind of bloodshed and death. I haven't felt that way in a very long time, and I want you to know that feeling Revan."

Revan nodded, "I understand that Bastila, and you don't know how much I want to just run off to Rakata with you and leave the galaxy to its own devices," Revan stopped and sighed. "But I can't, we can't. It's not who we are. We're the ones who ride out and face the darkness."

Bastila crossed her arms over her chest. "Revan, this isn't the last stand of Mandalore."

"And I don't think it is," Revan said calmly.

"Good, so we're in agreement."

Revan stood up and hugged Bastila to him. "I'm still going through with this you know."

"I know," Bastila murmured into Revan's chest.

"But that doesn't mean I think this is going to be a suicide mission, and if you want a family then I guess the only thing I can do is make sure the galaxy is as safe as possible."

"So you're planning on living just for me?" Bastila asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"No," Revan admitted. "I want a future too. Just not right now. I don't want to give up being able to do this just yet." Revan reached down and pulled the sheet off of Bastila. "Are you feeling tired?" He asked Bastila as he swept her up into his arms.

"Not in the slightest," Bastila replied before kissing Revan.

-to be continued-

Author's Notes: So yeah, here's chapter 18. Pretty much wrote itself over the course of two day's work, which was odd since lately it's been like pulling teeth getting even a sentence written. It's really hard writing romance without it becoming overly sentimental goo, I think I managed to keep it out of the realm of crap-fest but it was a close thing. Originally my idea was for the chapter to have three or four parts with interludes featuring Yoda and Windu, Obi-Wan and Anakin, or Palpatine and Dooku; but the beginning and end on the Ebon Hawk came together so well that there wasn't a need for the middle sections. Chapter 19 is on the march, Revan and Palpatine debate Force theology on Korriban. Thanks for reading and reviewing. And go read "Struggle" by Yggi, if you aren't all ready, that's quality writing there.

-sam 11/28/2004  



	19. Chapter 19

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: A hyperspace accident throws Bastila and Revan into a galaxy of intrigue. Whatever happend to happily ever after?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Nineteen

Bastila and Revan stood on the floor of the Valley of the Ancient Sith on Korriban. The wind whipped at the simple Jedi robes they both wore. Revan felt the lightsaber clipped to his belt bump reassuringly against his hip. He glanced over at Bastila and saw that she was looking around the valley calmly. Now that they were on Korriban there was no time for second thoughts and it showed in Bastila's demeanor.

"Do you think they'll show?" Bastila asked Revan.

"I think so," Revan replied. "They are Sith after all. A challenge like this suits their mentality."

"Are you sure? I've seen pictures of this Palpatine and he hardly seems like a spry young man. Sending a horde of war droids after us, or bombing us from orbit seems more his style."

"Why else do you think I chose this place?" Revan asked. "He won't risk pulverizing these tombs with an orbital bombardments." Revan cast his gaze around the rim of the valley. "No he'll show, his ego demands it."

Their arrival on Korriban had passed without incident. There were no cruisers waiting for them in orbit, nor were there any traps in the ruins of Dreshdae. Revan ordered the droids to take the Ebon Hawk and keep it nearby, but mobile to prevent anyone from getting a fix on their only means of escape. 

Bastila remembered watching the Hawk take off and feeling the weight of the Dark Side presence on the planet close in around her. She had never been to Korriban. The crew of the Ebon Hawk by unspoken agreement left Korriban for last in the search for the Star Maps so she was already a prisoner of the Sith on Rakata. She wondered if the stench of the Dark Side had increased since Revan's first visit or if there had always been an overpowering sense of evil radiating from the very rocks of the planet.

A shuttle suddenly appeared and shot over their heads. Bastila tensed to avid a possible strafing run, but noticed that Revan had not moved from his spot. She straightened her back and did not flinch as the shuttle passed overhead a second time before settling down a short distance in front of them.

"You know," Revan said conversationally. "For someone with plans of galactic domination that's a pretty unimpressive ship."

"I'm just glad it's not armed," Bastila replied.

The shuttle's boarding ramp hissed open and a pair of backlit figures emerged. "Ah Revan, so you are here, and this must be the legendary Bastila Shan, hello dear. It's a pleasure to meet you." Palpatine said as he descended the ramp. He wore a simple black Sith robe with the cowl thrown back. He made no effort to hide the ravages of the Dark Side on his body unlike Revan's other encounters with him. 

Walking a step behind Palpatine was a tall, dignified, elderly man who Bastila immediately recognized as the Sith who captured her. She might not have seen his face but she recognized his gait, and his dark aura. Bastila set her teeth in a concerted effort not to appeared alarmed at the sight of her former torturer.

"I was more worried you wouldn't show up Palpatine," Revan casually replied. He kept his hand close to his lightsaber, but made no move to draw it.

"Here I am Sidious, not Palpatine," Palpatine said.

"Has anyone ever told you that is a ridiculous name?" Revan asked. "Seriously, Sidious, what kind of a name is that? You dropped the prefix off of insidious, that's just frightening. How about you string bean? What's your scary name?"

"You can call me Tyranus," Dooku said with a sneer.

Revan barked out a short laugh. "Seriously, what is with you Sith guys, do you have a big hat of stupid names you reach into when you become a Darth?"

"You will..." Palpatine began to say.

"I know, I know. I will pay for my insolence," Revan said, cutting off Palpatine. Now that he was past the point of no return Revan felt almost at ease, and was able to make jokes despite the danger. "This is your last chance Palpatine," Revan said. "Renounce the Dark Side or be destroyed."

"And here I thought you'd finally come to your senses and decided to pledge your fealty to me. No matter, you will soon enough."

"You're the one who's crazy if you think I'll turn to the Dark Side," Revan shot back.

Palpatine sighed dramatically, "Very well, if you must insist." Palpatine raised his hand and shot bolts of Force Lightning at Revan.

Revan drew his lightsaber in a blur of motion and deflected the lightning harmlessly away. "You'll have to do better than that," Revan taunted as he settled into a defensive posture.

"Oh I intend to," Palpatine replied as he withdrew a lightsaber from within his voluminous robes and launched himself at Revan.

Revan parried the blow and countered with an attack of his own. Palpatine fended off Revan's advance with practiced ease. "So you do have some skill with a blade," Revan said. "I was wondering if that was the case."

"More than enough skill to defeat you," Palpatine snarled. He began another series of attacks at Revan, driving the Jedi back away from the shuttle.

Bastila watched Palpatine and Revan fight up and down the length of the valley. From her vantage point neither or the two combatants had a clear advantage. Both were equal in power and skill. She recognized that in such a close match the winner would likely be the one who did not slip on a loose stone, or some of lucky break. She wanted to rush to Revan's aid, together she knew they could defeat Palpatine, however she knew that this was a battle Revan had to fight alone. Also, someone had to keep an eye on Palpatine's apprentice in case he attempted any mischief.

"Revan will lose you know," Dooku said from behind Bastila. "He will either die or fall to the Dark Side."

"Do not make the mistake of underestimating Revan," Bastila shot back. "He is a survivor."

"That is an admirable trait in a Sith, but not necessarily a Jedi,'' Dooku pointed out. "It implies a willingness to sell out one's beliefs. Join me Bastila, I am not like Sidious. All he is concerned with is gaining personal power and settling the ancient Sith grudge against the Jedi."

"And you're not?" Bastila asked contemptuously.

"No, I am not."

"Then what are you after?" Bastila asked. "I can sense that you were good once, why side with the Sith?"

"Ask yourself, what is the greatest threat to the galaxy? It's certainly not the Sith, there are only two of us after all. No, the Republic is the greatest danger. How many times has the inability of the Senate to act quickly imperiled the safety of the galaxy? Strong rule is necessary, the Sith have the right of things there."

"Strong rule never works in the long run," Bastila shot back. "People want their freedom."

"You have no idea what evil is out there, beyond the Galactic Rim," Dooku said. "For years my dreams have been visited by specters of a future catastrophe. The Republic needs to be strong if it stands a chance of surviving. The weak and corrupt must be purged. Lord Sidious will be that purging."

"You're dooming the Republic in your attempts to save it!" Bastila protested.

"A pity, I hoped you would understand the importance of my work." Dooku drew his lightsaber. "If you won't join me I will have to kill you."

Bastila drew her lightsaber and ignited one of its blades. "You were lucky the first time we crossed blades, are you so sure the outcome will be the same this time?"

Dooku whirled and crashed his lightsaber into hers. "I see no reason to think otherwise," he said as he bored down on Bastila.

Bastila grit her teeth and forced Dooku back. She then planted a foot against Dooku and used him as a springboard as she leapt backwards, allowing her breathing room. She twisted in the air and landed lightly on her feet. Bastila stared at Dooku and ignited the second blade of her lightsaber. "Oh I think there is," she said with a feral grin.

Dooku growled in frustration and charged Bastila. The glowing blades of Bastila's double-saber swirled as she parried his attack. "You're skill with that lightsaber is formidable," Dooku noted as he deflected a thrust from Bastila. "But exotic toys are not enough to deny the superior swordsman."

"We'll see about that," Bastila replied as she blocked Dooku's stroke and countered with a swipe at his feet.

Dooku leapt over Bastila's lightsaber and fired a blast of Force Lightning in an attempt to distract Bastila. Bastila hastily erected a Force barrier that absorbed the Dark Side energy. She unleashed a wave of Force energy at Dooku in the hopes of catching the Sith off balance.

Dooku constructed a Force shield of his own, and while he was buffeted by the strength of Bastila's attack Dooku stood his ground. "You're simply wasting your energy. Even if you do manage to defeat me you will have to contend with either Darth Sidious, Darth Revan, or both. You have no chance in surviving such a fight on your own. It is in your best interest to join me, not to mention the galaxy's."

Bastila swung her lightsaber down and it crashed into Dooku's. "The galaxy? Isn't that laying it on a little thick? You want my help in conquering the galaxy. How is that better?"

Dooku dodged a strike from Bastila and countered with one of his own. "Because my dear, I'm not a monster. Certainly not like Darth Revan."

"It was Malak who was the monster," Bastila shot back.

"And who do you think molded Malak? Revan created Darth Malak to be his monster, that way Revan could distance himself from the worst of the Sith deprivations. Only a monster could create a monster like Malak."

"You seek to divide Revan and myself," Bastila declared. "Save your poison tongue. I know Revan won't fall to the Dark Side."

"And why is that?"

Bastila took a step back and straightened her posture, "Because I won't fall to the Dark Side. The strength we draw from each other shields us from the Dark Side's pull."

"Fascinating, I wonder what would happen to Revan if you were to die? Let's find out shall we?"

Dooku redoubled his attack and attempted to use his superior reach to break through Bastila's defenses. Bastila knew that Dooku had the advantage in a close quarters fight and did her best to fend the Sith Lord off.

"I can feel you're tiring," Dooku said. "You can't keep this up forever. Aren't your arms beginning to feel like lead? Your legs jelly? You know what the outcome of this fight will be so why fight the inevitable?"

"Because that is who I am," Bastila replied defiantly. She could feel the Dark Side singing out to her, begging for her to call on it. She pushed those feelings aside and focused solely on blocking Dooku's attacks. "I will stand up for the Light Side even with my dying breath."

"Noble words, but we both know that to be a lie. It's a proven fact your loyalties are much more...flexible."

"It's true, I've sworn allegiance to both sides of the light, but that means I've seen what have to offer, and I've made my choice. The Dark Side leads to death. I choose the Light, and life."

"I think you'll find that choice will lead to your hasty demise," Dooku snarled as he lunged at Bastila's head.

Bastila deflected Dooku's strike, and then swung at the Sith Lord's exposed chest. Dooku leapt backwards but the tip of Bastila's lightsaber still managed to graze his chest leaving behind an angry, red welt. 

Dooku bit back a cry of pain, "Well played," he allowed through gritted teeth. He then charged Bastila and drove her back with the ferocity of his attack.

Bastila spared a glance backwards and saw that they were heading towards a deep ravine. She waited until she was on the very precipice of the ravine before leaping over the head of Dooku. Bastila twisted in the air and landed a solid, Force-assisted kick squarely on Dooku's back. Dooku flew into the ravine and bounced down the rock wall. He came to a stop with a thud against a large boulder.

Bastila looked down at the fallen Sith Lord, "Inevitable outcome my ass," Bastila said before skidding down after Dooku. The Sith Lord was unconscious, Bastila could see that he had multiple broken bones and a very nasty gash on his forehead. Bastila picked up the fallen Sith's lightsaber and stared at Dooku. 

"It would be so easy," Bastila thought. "But no, I can't do it. " She knelt down next to Dooku and placed her hand on his head. Bastila closed her eyes and put Dooku into a healing trance. His wounds were grievous enough that without her help he would probably die. "I just hope I don't form a Force Bond with this Sith Lord," Bastila thought morbidly to herself. The trance had the added benefit of keeping Dooku unconscious for several hours. Time enough for Bastila and Revan to figure out what to do with him. 

Bastila tucked Dooku's lightsaber into her belt and began to climb up the slippery face of the ravine. She hoped to be able to aid Revan in some fashion now that Palpatine's apprentice was dealt with. She reached out to grab hold of a rock to pull herself up and felt the rock give way in the soft earth. Bastila skidded down the shale and stared up the sharply angled wall of the valley. "This might prove to be more complicated than I thought," she muttered to herself.

Revan brought his lightsaber up in time and deflected away a powerful strike from Palpatine. For such a withered figure Palpatine was a surprisingly able duelist, with skills comparable to Revan's. Revan dodged a slash aimed for his head and countered with a swipe intended to remove Palpatine's legs at the knees. Palpatine brought his lightsaber around to block Revan's attack with blinding speed.

The two combatants backed off and circled each other. "You did not expect me to be so skilled with the blade, did you?" Palpatine asked.

Revan shrugged, "When the Force is your ally your age, or size, doesn't matter. That holds true for both the Light and the Dark."

"The Jedi trained you well," Palpatine admitted. "But not well enough. I can feel your anger, your hatred burning inside you. Let it out and be who you really are."

"This is who I am," Revan replied "Darth Revan was a...sidestep. I lost myself for a while, but with Bastila's help I straightened out."

"Do you really think Darth Revan would see things that way? What does it say that you had to be unmade in order to return to the light?"

"It says to me that the Dark Side exact a heavy price on those who turn their backs on it," Revan answered.

"The Jedi erased who you were and remade you in their image, how is that a willing conversion?"

"Because when faced with the truth of what the Council did, of who I really was, I did not turn back to the Dark Side. Face it Palpatine, I will not turn, and your dark reign ends today."

"You are over-confident. Let me show you the error of your ways." Palpatine redoubled his attack on Revan. 

Revan countered Palpatine's offensive and matched him in intensity. The air around the two crackled with energy and any witness to the fight would have seen outlines of blue and red surround the combatants. 

For Revan Palpatine was the most skillful opponent he had ever faced. In subtleness and cunning he far outmatched Malak. Palpatine countered all of Revan's advances and refused to be baited by any of his feints. Chunks of broken stonework and boulders flew around them as they tried to catch the other unaware. Revan did not know how much longer he could keep up with the Sith Lord who had seemingly limitless energy.

Revan leapt up onto an outcropping of rock to get some breathing space from Palpatine. "If you are so sure of yourself why do you run?" Palpatine asked as he unleashed a storm of Force lightning at Revan.

"I'm giving you a chance to reflect on your wicked ways is all," Revan replied as he summoned a shield of Force energy. Palpatine's barrage bounced harmlessly off Revan's barrier.

"You're not fooling anyone you know," Palpatine said. "You might have wrapped yourself in the sigils of the Jedi Order, the robes of Qel-Droma, the Solari Crystal, but these trinkets do nothing to hide the darkness that exists underneath the surface. I can feel it bubbling within you."

"I think you need to have your sensors checked," Revan snapped. "Because you're way off." Revan leapt off the outcropping and swung his lightsaber at Palpatine with a strong overhead stroke.

"Revan, your holding yourself back," Palpatine chided as he effortlessly blocked Revan's kill stroke. "Don't do that. The only way you can defeat me is if you give in to your hate."

"Do you think I just got off the transport from Dantooine?" Revan said through gritted teeth. "I'm not going to give you the satisfaction."

Palpatine chuckled. "For all your wisdom and insight into the Force you still fail to understand. You cannot best me if you refuse the Dark Side. There is no other way."

"That's a lie," Revan shot back. "The Light Side is every bit as strong as the Dark."

"In your day perhaps, but now the Light Side is so polluted the balance of power has shifted. It took many long years, but the Sith have successfully poisoned the Jedi's ability to access the Force. You have no choice, if you hope to beat me you will have to call on the Dark Side."

"We'll see about that," Revan said as he launched into Palpatine with a flurry of strikes. Palpatine coolly deflected Revan's attacked and countered with a slash aimed at Revan's midsection. Revan leapt back and the blade whistled past harmlessly. The move left Revan unable to take advantage of the opening and by the time Revan had gathered himself Palpatine had already started another offensive.

The force of Palpatine's attack drove Revan backwards. At the beginning of the fight Revan was able to use the Force in an attempt to catch Palpatine unaware. Now he was so occupied with defending himself from Palpatine's onslaught that he could not spare an iota of his concentration elsewhere. 

Revan was staggered by the hate that Palpatine radiated. It felt inhuman, like an elemental force of nature. Unbidden Revan recalled a conversation with Yuthura Ban about the Sith legend of the Sithari and Revan wondered if Palpatine was in fact the incarnation of the Sithari.

A lucky strike of Revan's grazed Palpatine's arm, causing the Sith Lord to cry out in pain. "At least he's still human," Revan muttered to himself as he tried to press his advantage. Palpatine parried a blow aimed for his head and countered with a thrust at Revan's chest. Revan sidestepped the strike but tripped over a pile of loose stone and fell down. Revan's lightsaber was jarred loose from his hand by the force of the impact and it clattered on the arid ground just out of his reach.

Revan reached out with the Force to call the lightsaber back to his hand, but found that he couldn't. Palpatine was blocking his access to the Force. "Now you understand," Palpatine leered. "No Jedi can defeat me. If you truly desire victory become my apprentice, learn my secrets and use them to overthrow me. It is the only way you can prevent me from conquering the Republic and establishing a new Golden Era of the Sith."

As Palpatine talked Revan found part of himself agreeing with the Chancellor. "You don't have to completely turn to the Dark Side," he heard a voice whisper inside his head. "Think of it as going undercover, it's what you have to do in order to save the galaxy."

Revan recognized the voice, it was his own. The darkness that still lived inside him. Through sheer willpower Revan shut out the voice and focused all his energy in breaking Palpatine's hold on his lightsaber. Very quickly Revan found himself channeling more Force energy than he ever had.

Suddenly time seemed to stand still and the world around shifted. He found himself standing on the deck of a ship, or a space station. He saw Palpatine, now even more warped and twisted from the Dark Side standing over the body of a sandy-haired young man in a black jumpsuit. For a moment Revan thought it was Anakin, but a second glance proved him wrong. 

"This must be the future," Revan thought to himself. "Odd time for a vision."

The tableau unfroze and Revan watched as Palpatine mercilessly unleashed bolts of Dark Side energy into the young Jedi. He heard the young Jedi calling out for his father's help. Revan was reflecting on the oddity of the Jedi's pleading when a large shape loomed up over Palpatine. Revan wasn't sure how he knew, but he immediately recognized the twisted amalgam of man and machine as Anakin Skywalker. Revan watched Anakin lift Palpatine up and throw him down a deep exhaust port.

As quickly as it appeared the vision dissolved. Revan felt the barrier around the lightsaber weaken. Revan intensified his efforts. to free the blade. He knew now what he had to do.

"Well, what say you Revan? Will you chose survival and join me, or do you chose death?"

Revan looked up at Palpatine. "You offer me a chance to strike you down if I join you as your apprentice. But that's no choice at all. I would simply supplant you as Dark Lord, and the galaxy would be no better off than it is now."

"So you chose death."

"I chose the third way, life," Revan declared. He punched through Palpatine's shield and called his lightsaber to him. He brought his lightsaber up just in time to parry's Palpatine's intended deathblow. The two lightsabers locked together and Revan forced his way back to his feet.

"You see Palpatine I realized something, you're right. I know I can't beat you, not fully at least Of course you'll never succeed in vanquishing the Jedi. One can never completely defeat the Dark, or the Light because they are nothing more than two sides of the same thing, the Force. In fact a Jedi will be you're undoing, I have foreseen it," Revan sneered over the crackle of the lightsaber blades.

"Oh you have?" Palpatine asked in a condescending tone. "By all means do share."

Revan smirked. "The son of Skywalker will take up his father's mantle as a Jedi and will be the cause of your downfall." Revan glanced around and saw that they were standing in the shadow of Naga Sadow's tomb.

"An interesting tale, time will tell if your prognostication is accurate. Unfortunately you will not."

"No, I think I will," Revan declared. He unleashed a concentrated burst of the Force directly into Palpatine's chest. Palpatine was driven backwards into the yawning darkness of the tomb. Revan then used his lightsaber and the Force to cause an avalanche that sealed the tomb. He knew it wouldn't contain Palpatine for long, but it would provide enough time for Revan to make his escape.

"Revan!" Bastila called out, "Are you alright?"

Revan sagged as the stress of the fight began to take its toll on him. "I'll live," he replied. Revan looked at Bastila and noted her torn and soiled robe "What happened to you, and where's Palpatine's apprentice?"

"Unconscious in a ravine, what should we do about him?"

"Let him stay there, we're leaving," Revan declared. He reached into his robe and withdrew his communicator. "T3, we need immediate extraction."

The Ebon Hawk roared overhead and T3 brought the freighter in close to where Bastila and Revan were standing. The boarding ramp descended and the two Jedi hopped on board.

"HK, blast that shuttle!" Revan shouted as he ran towards the cockpit.

"Acknowledgement!" The droid shouted with glee and the blaster turret fired on Palpatine's shuttle as the Ebon Hawk passed overhead. The shuttle exploded in a large fireball.

T3 whistled at Revan as he sat down in the pilot's seat. "There's a cruiser waiting for us in orbit?" Revan asked "That's predictable. Do you have the course laid in?" The droid chirped that he did. "Well hang on." Revan accelerated to full speed and the Ebon Hawk shot out of Korriban's atmosphere.

Bastila slid into the copilot's seat. "Are there any problems?" she asked.

"Nothing we didn't anticipate," Revan replied. "We have inbound fighters. HK, hold them off, but don't destroy them."

"Consternation: Master, I don't know how you expect me to function at peak performance if you do not allow me..."

"Do it HK!" Revan thundered into the com. "Hyperspace jump in two minutes." The ship shuddered as HK opened fire on the Republic fighters.

T3 chirped nervously. "Yes, T3, I'm aware that the cruiser will have us in tractor range sooner. Don't worry, I'll think of something. In the meantime get back to the engine room and channel all the available power into the engines If all else fails we can outrun them." T3 beeped his understanding and wheeled his way out of the cockpit.

Bastila wanted to ask Revan what happened with Palpatine, but knew that question had to be asked later, when their live were not in peril. She busied herself by watching the countdown to when they could enter hyperspace.

"Making the jump to light speed now," Revan announced just as a warning klaxon announced the Republic cruiser had them in tractor range. Revan activated the hyperspace engine and the ship transitioned its way out of real space.

As they raced away from Korriban Revan slumped down dejectedly in the pilot's seat. "I couldn't do it Bastila. I had the chance to stop him, but I couldn't do it."

"If you'd taken that chance you would have condemned yourself to the Dark Side," Bastila told Revan. "You had no choice in the matter."

"Except that's not true. When I was fighting Palpatine I saw a vision of the future. I know what must be done to cleanse the Force, but I wasn't willing to pay the price to do so."

"What is it?" Bastila asked with dread in her voice. If Revan was unwilling to go through with what the Force demanded the cost must be terrible indeed.

"Sacrifice. A sacrifice made out of love will restore the balance. Anakin will destroy Palpatine at the cost of his own life to save his son."

"His son?" Bastila asked in disbelief.

"I don't know the how or why, just the final result."

"Despite the fact that it's a horribly selfish thing for me to say I'm glad you chose not to sacrifice yourself. I'm not ready to give you to the Force just yet."

"Still, why should Anakin be the one who has to die?"

"You'll go mad trying to answer questions like that and you know it. You did all that you could, there's no point in fretting about things you cannot control. Besides, maybe there is a reason for you to still do. You say Anakin will make a sacrifice of love. Who exactly will teach him what love means?"

"Not me, we can't stay on Coruscant, not after this."

"There are, other ways," Bastila allowed. "Think about it Revan, you might not have defeated Palpatine today, but you can plant the seeds for his eventual defeat."

Revan thought over what Bastila had to say, "Maybe you're right. I'll give it some thought when we get to Rakata."

"So we're going to Rakata?" Bastila asked.

"Unless you can think of a better place to hide," Revan replied.

"I'm sorry we were unable to do more," Bastila admitted.

"I am too, but hopefully we did enough." 

"I know we did," Bastila said. The pair lapsed into silence and watched the roiling swirl of hyperspace in front of them.

-to be continued-

Author's notes: What, you thought I'd let Revan win? Sorry folks, that was never in the cards. It felt good to write this chapter since I've been waiting for almost a year to do so. Chapter Twenty will tie up the loose ends and then it's done, hallelujah. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

-sam, 12/21/2004  



	20. Chapter 20

Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction  
by: Sam Lincoln 

Rating: PG

Summary: A hyperspace accident throws Bastila and Revan into a galaxy of intrigue. Whatever happend to happily ever after?

Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.

Trouble: Chapter Twenty

A pair of hooded figures walked into the cantina near the lone spaceport on Deragil VII. Deragil was a small, mostly abandoned colony on the Outer Rim. Very little traffic past through the spaceport, and most of what did was the sort of cargo that a person didn't ask questions about. The cantina reflected Deragil's motley nature, and none of the patrons paid the two humans any mind as they made their way to a shadowy booth in the rear of building.

"Glad to see you could make it," Mace Windu said a Bastila and Revan slid into the booth.

"There might be a bounty on our heads, but so long as we steer clear of the Outer Rim we should be ok."

"Clashed with Palpatine you have, understand now do you?" Yoda asked.

Revan bowed his head, "I know the price that must be paid to defeat Palpatine and the Sith."

"Much like you Anakin is," Yoda said, cutting Revan off. "At once our doom and savior. Trouble yourself not that you do not walk Anakin's path. Other tasks intended for you the Force does."

"Yes, that's what I've been persuaded to believe," Revan said with a sidewards glance at Bastila.

"What happens now?" Bastila asked.

"Now we wait for Palpatine to make his move. The Republic will fall, there will be civil war, and in the end, if everything goes as it should, the Sith will be destroyed and the Republic can rebuild," Windu said.

"A new hope for the galaxy as it were," Revan said bitterly.

"Be not bitter," Yoda said. "For the best this will be in the end, but heavy the cost is yes," he added.

"What will you do now?" Windu asked.

"Is this the part where I give you the coordinates to Rakata and you send Jedi there to form a secret Academy to weather Palpatine's rule?" Revan asked.

"I don't know, is it?" Windu asked evenly.

"I'm sure that's what Palpatine expects, but it's not what I have in mind," Revan declared. "This is your mess. I did my best to clean it up, but your actions made that impossible. You're on your own from here on out."

"So that's it, you're just going to become a hermit and shut yourself off from the rest of the galaxy?" Windu challenged Revan.

Revan shook his head, "This isn't our time or place, we don't belong here. We've already been to Rakata, and I've spoken with the ancient living computer that resides in the Temple of the Ancients. It says it knows how to recreate the hyperspace accident that brought us here in the first place."

"So running away you are," Yoda observed.

"I'd call it going home," Revan countered. "If we were to stay it's inevitable we would encounter Palpatine again, and next time we might not be as lucky as we were."

"The coming Rebellion will greatly need both of your talents," Windu pointed out.

"They shall have to do without," Bastila declared. "Palpatine would know if either of us were behind any Rebellion movement and he would stop at nothing to destroy it, and us."

"But if he were to think a brewing Rebellion had no Jedi influence he would be more inclined to view it as a nuisance and not worth his time," Revan said, cutting Bastila off. "But you already knew that," he added.

"Crossed our mind the thought has," Yoda allowed.

"Before we go there is one thing, could you give this to Anakin for me?" Revan handed Windu a holocron. "There were some things I wanted to tell him that I won't get the chance to."

Windu took the holocron from Revan's hand. "I thought you had washed your hands of us."

Revan shrugged, "Like Master Yoda said, I see a lot of myself in Anakin." Revan stood, "We should be going, I don't want to keep you from Coruscant for too long, you never know who might take notice."

Windu nodded, "It truly was an honor to meet both of you."

"We feel the same Master Windu," Bastila said.

"May the Force be with you both," Yoda said. He reached out with a clawed hand and touched Revan's. Neither Bastila or Windu noticed the Force flow between the two Jedi, but there was a flash of recognition in Revan's eyes that he quickly suppressed. Yoda nodded slightly as if to answer an unasked question.

"I think you'd better keep your benedictions to yourself Master Yoda," Revan grimly said. "You're going to need them more than we will." As Revan turned to leave a datapad fell out of his robe and landed on the table. Neither Revan or Bastila paid it any mind.

"Now glad are you that they came here?" Yoda asked Windu as they watched Revan and Bastila walk out of the cantina.

"Yes old friend, you were right. They've altered events, and forced Palpatine's hand. He will move before he is ready and now we have a chance."

"More important than that seeds Revan has planted in Anakin. Grow they will into the Jedi's salvation."

"For all they have done for us, I wish we could have told them something of the road that lies ahead of them."

"Dark their path is, yes, even to me," Yoda agreed. "Done with them the Force is not, but turn to light darkness does eventually."

Windu reached out and picked up the datapad. "Who knows, that might even be the case for us," he said. A smile played across his lips as he read the coordinates for Rakata off of the pad.

"Master, my spies have been unable to find any trace of the Ebon Hawk or it's crew," Dooku told Palpatine. Dooku regretted that they were holding this meeting face to face. Palpatine's rage after the battle of Korriban had been tremendous. Even now, weeks afterward Dooku was reluctant to meet with his master in person. "It is as if they dropped off of the face of the galaxy."

"They have gone into hiding somewhere my gaze cannot penetrate," Palpatine declared. "And I know exactly where he is."

"Rakata," Dooku said. "We do not know the coordinates of the planet, and there should be enough residual Dark Side energy to mask their presence," he continued on, ignoring the annoyed look on Palpatine's face.

"Yes, Rakata, very astute guess Lord Tyrannus," Palpatine snarled. "He undoubtedly will find a way too activate the energy shield that protected Rakata from space bombardment. So that if we were to find Rakata we would be unable to harm him."

"From there he could mount a very effective resistance movement against you my lord," Dooku pointed out.

"Yes," Palpatine mused, "he could at that. Tyrannus, I have a new charge for you."

"Yes my lord?"

"Construct me a weapon that can destroy an entire planet in one shot," Palpatine instructed his apprentice. "Revan might think himself safe on Rakata, but we will show him the true meaning of power."

"But such a weapon would have to be enormous," Dooku said as he tried to imagine such a weapon.

"Indeed, and what better way to display the might of the new Sith Empire?" Palpatine asked. "Seek out the Geonosians, they have the expertise necessary to create a weapon of this magnitude."

Dooku bowed, "As you command my lord."

"And Tyrannus, one more thing." Palpatine reached out with the Force and grabbed Dooku by the throat. "Don't think that your attempts to recruit Bastila Shan and use her to move against me went unnoticed. Never forget which one of us is the Master and which is the Apprentice."

"I remember Master," Dooku gasped out as he felt his throat being crushed.

Palpatine released his grip on Dooku who dropped to his knees. "Go, there is much you need to do." Dooku picked himself up and strode out of the chamber without saying a word. "Dooku grows more hard to control by the day," Palpatine mused to himself. He had not wanted to have to destroy his current apprentice jus yet, Anakin Skywalker was still not ready to be initiated into the ways of the Sith, but if Dooku's insolence continued to grow Palpatine might have no choice.

"Sleep well Anakin," Obi-Wan counseled hid Padawan. "Don't forget, tomorrow we're going to Alderaan for a trade conference."

"Yes master," Anakin said. Obi-Wan turned and walked out of the darkened dormitory room. Anakin waited for the door to close behind Obi-Wan before he reached under his bed and withdrew a holocron. He cradled the holocron between his hands and played the message recorded on it.

A small hologram of Revan flared to life. "Hello Anakin, I wanted to be around and help with your training, but sometimes life doesn't work the way you want it to. I have to return to the Outer Rim, and you will probably never see me again."

"However I did want to leave you with some advice. The first is listen to Master Kenobi, he really is looking out for you and wants to see you succeed. The second s that no-one, not even Master Yoda, has all the answers."

Revan paused a moment before continuing, "What I'm trying to say here is that you should follow your heart, not the Jedi Code. Don't get me wrong, the Jedi Code contains a great deal of wisdom and you should aspire to follow it's guidelines, but if you follow any creed blindly you are potentially compromising who you are and that just as surely leads to the Dark Side as pushing Jawas into a furnace."

"Don't fear love Anakin," Revan continued. " It gives you strength and someone who knows love, well they can never truly be claimed by the Dark Side. There will always be a little spark of the light buried in them. 

"I should wrap this up because I don't have much time and you probably don't want to listen to me ramble on. May the Force be with you Anakin Skywalker, I'm sure you destined for great things." The hologram of Revan flickered, then faded out.

Anakin returned the holocron to its hiding place and stretched out on his bed. He wondered what would cause a Jedi Master as powerful as Master Delwynn to depart with such speed and secrecy. "Trying to figure out why a Master does things is as hard as trying to herd tachs," Anakin muttered to himself.

Anakin put Master Delwynn out of his mind and rolled over on the bed. He tried to picture his mother's face as he drifted off to sleep but was perplexed when Queen Amidala of Naboo slipped unbidden into his dreams.

"Are you ready?" Bastila asked Revan. They were standing in the Ebon Hawk's cockpit which hung in orbit around Rakata. It had taken several weeks to make the necessary modifications to the Ebon Hawk's hyperdrive. "You've seemed...withdrawn since we met with the Masters."

"It's nothing, I've just been thinking."

"About what?"

"If we go back...I don't think Jolee's vision will come to pass," Revan carefully said.

"How do you know?"

Revan shook his head, "It's just a feeling I have. There's something dark looming there."

Bastila took Revan's hands in hers, "Revan there is always something dark looming. We simply have to make do with the time we have between galactic emergencies."

"We could stay," Revan said. "Nobody would be the wiser if we turned around and landed on Rakata."

"You'd be terribly bored playing the hermit," Bastila pointed out. "I don't care if we're careening into another crises. We're going home, back to our friends and family. I've missed them all, haven't you?"

Revan nodded, "A galaxy without Mission or Jolee does seem poorer doesn't it?" He admitted. "So you're ok that we're leaving the fairy tale ending behind?"

"Fairy tale endings are for children," Bastila admonished. "I'm far happier with the real thing."

Revan pulled Bastila close, "That's good enough for me." He leaned over and kissed Bastila. "Ok T3," he called out. "Let's get this show on the road."

The droid twittered over the com that it was readyy to activate the hyperdrive. Bastila and Revan settled into the pilot seats. "You know there's no guarentee that this will work," Revan pointed out.

"I'm perfectly willing to place myself in the Force's care," Bastila said calmly. "Wherever we end up is where we're supposed to be, and most importantly we'll be there together."

Revan smiled, "I can't argue with that. Activating the hyperdrive now." Revan pushed the levers that operate the hyperdrive forward and a familiar rumbling began to shake the Ebon Hawk. "Hold on," Revan said. "We're on our way."

Standing still in space the Ebon Hawk appeared to shudder violently and began to glow a brilliant white before shooting into hyperspace with a flicker of pseudo motion. The frieghter left nothing behind to mark its passage and the dead planet of Rakata continued is silent orbit as if nothing had happened.

-the end.

Author's notes: And it's offically done, finally. Where did Revan and Bastila end up? That's up for you to decide gentle reader, though I suppose if you don't want to break continuity they wound up back in their own time. That was actually the challenge I put myself up to. Write a story that both "improves" on the prequels and at the same time doesn't too horribly breaks the continuity that Lucas set forth. Whether or not I pulled that off is again an exercise for the reader. I hope everyone enjoyed this little tale, it certainly gave me something to do when I was bored at work. See you next time. 

-sam, 1/1/2005  



End file.
